Title tag length: what fits, what Google rewrites, and how to write one

Write for pixels, not characters. Search results cut on pixel width, which changes by device and query. You cannot control that. You can control your words.

About 60 characters, including spaces, is a safe line. Some titles fit a bit more. Some get cut earlier. Treat 60 as a design limit, not a law.

There is no penalty for longer titles. The risk is truncation or a title Google rewrites. Both can hurt clicks because the best words get hidden or changed.

Google measures title links in pixels. It renders your tag in its own font, then clips to fit the result. Desktop and mobile differ. Bolded match words take more space.

That is why counting characters is rough. An “M” is wider than an “i”. A query that bolds “pricing” can push your brand off the edge on mobile but not on desktop.

Use a preview to sanity check. You want the core search terms and the promise to be visible on both mobile and desktop for your main queries.

Google sometimes shows a different title link than your tag. It can use on-page headings, anchor text from links, or other text it sees as clearer for the query.

• Query mismatch: the tag does not reflect the search words that page ranks for.
• Boilerplate first: the brand or a slogan sits before the actual topic.
• Stuffing: repeated words or lists of variants.
• Too generic: “Home”, “Blog”, or “Untitled”.
• Out of date or misleading: claims that no longer match the page.
• Duplicate tags across many pages.
• All caps or shouty punctuation.

• Match search intent in the first words. Use the main term people type for that page.
• Describe the specific promise: feature, price, step count, or comparison.
• Keep boilerplate and the brand at the end.
• Make each page unique. No copy and paste across templates.
• Reflect your H1. They do not need to be identical, but they should agree.
• Avoid brackets and pipes as decoration. Use them only when they add meaning.

Front load the topic. Then add a concrete promise. Put the brand at the end. Use a colon or a pipe as a simple separator.

• The words they type: the head term for that page.
• The specific promise: number, feature, use case, or audience.
• The brand last: shorten it if needed.

Keep filler out. Drop “welcome”, “the best”, “official site”, and empty adjectives. If a word does not help a searcher choose, remove it.

You want a scan line that reads like this: “Pricing, freemium plan, annual save 2 months | Brand”. The query terms show. The promise is clear. The brand is visible but last.

Here are three pages you likely have. Each shows a bad, a fixed, and the reason. Keep them under about 60 characters when you ship.

If your brand is long, shorten it at the end. “YP” beats losing the promise on mobile. Keep the on-page H1 in sync: do not say one thing in the tag and another in the H1.

1. 1

   Pick the head term per page

   Open Search Console. In Performance, filter to the page. Sort queries by clicks, then impressions. Choose the clean, singular term that fits the page goal.

2. 2

   Add a specific promise

   Decide one useful fact you can state: feature, plan type, price point, step count, supported tool, or audience. It should help a searcher choose you.

3. 3

   Draft three variants

   Write three short options that front load the term, add the promise, and end with the brand. Keep them under about 60 characters.

4. 4

   Check fit on mobile and desktop

   Paste the drafts in a SERP preview. Search your main query and eyeball how Google bolds words. Keep the key words visible in both views.

5. 5

   Keep H1 alignment

   Edit the on-page H1 so it agrees with the tag. Do not copy it verbatim if that hurts clarity, but avoid a mismatch.

6. 6

   Ship, then watch clicks

   After indexing, compare clicks and average position in Search Console over 28 days. A stable position with more clicks tells you the title is working.

• Cut filler: “best”, “top”, “ultimate”, “complete”.
• Use numerals: “10” over “ten”, “24/7” over “always on”.
• Shorten separators: prefer a colon or a pipe over a hyphenated clause.
• Drop your brand on low intent pages when space is critical, but keep it on money pages and the homepage.
• Abbreviate the brand at the end if it saves a clickworthy word.
• Remove duplicates you already state in the URL or breadcrumbs.

A fixed page looks like this: the keyword and promise are fully visible on mobile, and the brand, even shortened, is still present at the end.

Search your main queries and compare the title link to your source code. If the words differ, list the cases and look for patterns in what Google prefers.

• If Google lifts your H1, your tag is likely off topic or too brand heavy. Align them.
• If it adds a section or category, your tag is too generic. Add the specific promise.
• If it shortens your brand, keep that shortened form in your tags.
• If it removes stuffed variants, cut them yourself and pick one clean term.

Fix a sample first. Recheck the same queries after reindexing. Track clicks and impressions for that page over 28 days to see if the change helps.

• Homepage: head term for your category, then a short promise, then brand. Example: “Time tracking for freelancers | YourProduct”.
• Feature page: feature name, audience or supported tool, then brand. Example: “Recurring invoices for agencies | YourProduct”.
• Pricing page: “Pricing and plans”, one promise, then brand. Example: “Pricing and plans, free trial | YourProduct”.
• Guide: task, format, then brand. Example: “Set up SPF: step by step | YourProduct”.
• Comparison: “A vs B”, what you compare, then brand. Example: “YourProduct vs X: features and pricing | YourProduct”.
• Alternatives: “X alternatives”, year only if it earns trust, then brand. Example: “X alternatives, updated | YourProduct”.