Title tag and meta description length: how to write them (and find missing ones)

Meta description length and title tag length: the short answer

Google doesn't set a character limit for either. It shortens them in search results to fit the width of the screen, so long ones get cut off with an ellipsis.

In practice, these lengths display in full on most devices:

Treat these as guides, not rules. A 65-character title with the important words at the start is better than a 55-character one that buries them. Wide letters (W, M) take more space than narrow ones (i, l), which is why the real limit is width rather than a character count.

What title tags and meta descriptions are

The title tag sits in the page's HTML head (<title>Managed IT Support for Law Firms | Brackenway IT</title>). Google usually uses it as the clickable headline of your search result, which it calls the title link. It also appears in browser tabs and when the page is shared.

The meta description (<meta name="description" content="...">) is a summary of the page. Google may show it as the snippet under your title link.

Neither appears on the page itself, which is why they're often forgotten.

Why they matter

• The title tag helps Google understand the page and is one of the clearest signals of what a page is about.
• Both decide whether people click. Your result sits among nine or more others. A clear title and a description that answers "why this one?" win clicks from the same ranking position.
• The meta description isn't a ranking factor, but more clicks from the same position means more visits and enquiries.

How to write a good title tag

1. Lead with the main keyword or service: what someone searched for. "Managed IT Support for Law Firms", not "Welcome to Brackenway IT".
2. Make it specific to the page. Each page gets its own title. Never use the same title on several pages.
3. Add what makes you the right choice if there's room: a location, a sector, a benefit ("24/7 support").
4. Add your brand at the end, if it fits: "| Brackenway IT".
5. Write for people. Don't stuff in variations of the same keyword; Google's guidance warns against it, and it reads badly.
6. Match the page's H1 in meaning, if not word for word.

How to write meta descriptions people click

1. Summarise the page honestly. What will someone get if they click?
2. Include the main keyword naturally. Google bolds words that match the search, which draws the eye.
3. Give a reason to choose you: a specific benefit, proof or detail. "Fixed monthly fee, four-hour response, 120 firms supported."
4. End with a clear next step where it fits: "See what's included", "Get a quote".
5. Keep the key message in the first 120 characters or so, because mobile snippets are shorter.
6. Make every description unique. A shared, generic description gives Google no reason to use it.

Example, for a service page:

Managed IT support for law firms, with a fixed monthly fee and four-hour response. See what's included and book a free IT review.

Why Google rewrites titles and descriptions

Google sometimes shows a different title link or snippet from the one you wrote. It does this when it decides something else on the page better describes it for that search.

Titles are more likely to be rewritten when they:

• are missing, empty or the same across many pages
• are stuffed with keywords
• use boilerplate such as "Home" or "Untitled"
• don't match what the page is about

Descriptions are more likely to be rewritten when they're missing, generic, duplicated, or don't relate to the search. Google often builds a snippet from the page's text instead, and this can vary by search.

You can't stop rewriting completely, but a clear, unique, accurate title and description that matches the page's main heading gives Google the least reason to change them.

How to find missing, duplicate and long tags

A meta description checker or crawler is the quickest way to check a whole site. Crawlers and audit tools list every page with its title and description, flagging missing, duplicate and over-length ones.

Your CMS or SEO plugin usually shows a title and description field per page, and some flag missing ones in a list view.

Search Console helps you prioritise: in the Performance report, pages with plenty of impressions but a low click-through rate are the ones where a better title and description will make the biggest difference.

A quick manual check: search site:yourdomain.com in Google and scan the results for repeated titles, "Home", or cut-off text.

Fix in this order:

1. Missing or duplicate titles on key pages (homepage, services, contact)
2. Titles that don't describe the page or bury the main words
3. Missing or duplicate descriptions on key pages
4. High-impression, low-click pages from Search Console
5. Everything else