Title tag character limit: what Google says, with before and after examples
Updated
Short answer
Google says there is no limit on how long a title element can be. In search results, the title link is cut as needed, usually to fit the device width. So instead of counting characters, put the words that matter first, so the title still makes sense if the end is cut. Putting key words first is our advice.
What Google says about length
Google's documentation on title links says there is no limit on how long a title element can be, and that the title link is truncated in search results as needed, typically to fit the device width. The documentation gives no character count.
Many guides quote a fixed number. We do not, because Google does not publish one and the cut-off point changes with the screen. That is our reasoning.
Why your title may not appear as written
Google builds the title link automatically. Besides the title element, it can use the main heading on the page, other heading elements, og:title, link text on the page and on other sites, and WebSite structured data. A clear title that matches the main heading makes it more likely that Google uses it. That last point is our view.
Google's advice for title elements
These come from the same documentation.
- Give every page a title
- Write descriptive and concise text
- Avoid keyword stuffing and repeated or boilerplate text
- Add your brand concisely at the start or end, separated by a hyphen, colon, or pipe
- Use the same language and writing system as the page content
Before and after
All businesses here are made up. Each new title assumes the page already says these things.
- Home page: before "Home | Smith Builders", after "Custom homes and siding repair in Springfield | Smith Builders"
- Projects page: before "Our Work | Smith Builders", after "Siding projects in Springfield | Smith Builders"
- Product page: before "Products", after "Small-batch stainless sheet metal work | Acme Fabrication"
- Restaurant: before "Welcome!", after "Lunch and dinner near Central Station | Main St Diner"
- Stuffed: before "roofing roofer roof repair cheap roofing Springfield", after "Roof repair and replacement in Springfield | Smith Roofing"
Do not add results or claims the page cannot back up, such as "best in town". Write only what a visitor can confirm on the page.
How to write one today
This order is our approach. It is faster to pull facts from the page than to brainstorm.
- Read the first screen and note what you offer, where, and for whom
- Put the words people are most likely to search for first
- Add a delimiter and your business name at the end
- Check that no other page on your site uses the same title
After you change it, you can ask Google to recrawl the page. Changes can take days or weeks to show, and the title link may still differ from what you wrote.
Where we fit
We are preparing a service that sends before-and-after title suggestions each morning. You decide whether to apply them. It cannot control what Google shows. It is not available in your country yet. Leave your email below to hear when it opens.