Google SERP preview for title and meta description
Write the SEO title and the description, and the preview shows how the page could appear in Google results on desktop and mobile, with the width measured in pixels.
Title, description and address
How it could appear in Google
Why the title and description matter
On the results page, the title and the description act as the advertisement for your article. They do not guarantee a better position, but they influence the decision to click. A title cut in half, or a description that says nothing concrete, can mean a well-ranked page gets fewer visits than it deserves.
How the length is calculated
The preview measures the text in pixels, using the Arial font: 20 pixels for the title and 14 pixels for the description. For the title we use an approximate limit of 600 pixels, and for the description around 920 pixels on desktop and 680 on mobile. When the text exceeds the limit, we cut it at the last whole word and add “…”, as Google usually does. The limits are not official: Google may change them, and the display differs by device and by search.
Best practices for the title
- Put the keyword towards the start, in natural wording.
- Say clearly what the reader will find on the page: a guide, a list, a comparison.
- Avoid excessive capital letters and repeating the same words.
- The brand name can go at the end, after a separator such as “|”.
The title in the preview is the one in the page’s title tag, not necessarily the main heading (H1) of the article. The two can differ: the SEO title can be shorter and more direct, while the one on the page can be more descriptive.
Best practices for the meta description
- Summarise the page in one or two sentences, with the main benefit.
- Finish with a clear call to action: “Discover…”, “Compare…”, “Request a quote…”.
- Use the keyword once; Google often highlights the searched terms.
- Write a unique description for every page.
Need title ideas? Try the advertorial headline generator: every generated headline can be tested directly here.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about serp preview
Why is the title measured in pixels, not characters?
Google limits titles by the space they take up on screen, not by the number of characters. Wide letters such as “M” or “W” take more room than “i” or “l”, so two titles with the same number of characters can have different lengths.
Are the limits of 600 and 920 pixels official?
No. They are approximations commonly used in practice. Google does not publish exact limits, and the display changes depending on the device, the query and changes to the interface.
Will Google show my title and description exactly as written?
Not always. Google may rewrite the title or pick a different passage from the page as the description if it considers it more relevant to the search. A clear title and a description that summarises the page accurately increase the chances of them being used.
How do I use the copied meta tags?
The “Copy the meta tags” button generates the title and meta description tags, with special characters escaped. You can paste them into the head section of the page or into the dedicated fields of your site’s SEO plugin.
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