Page titles and descriptions

The title and description are the first thing a searcher reads about your page, and often the only thing. They are also the part of SEO you can change in minutes. This guide explains what Google actually does with them, why it sometimes ignores what you wrote, and how to write them so people click.

8 min read · Updated 2026-10-17

The short answer

Your title tag is the main source for the headline Google shows, and the meta description may supply the snippet underneath. Neither has a length limit, but Google truncates to fit the screen width. Google can rewrite either one. Write the title to describe the page plainly and the description to give a reason to click.

What these two things are

The meta title, written in the HTML as a title element, is the clickable headline in a search result. The meta description is a short summary that may appear beneath it. Google calls the headline a title link and the text beneath it a snippet.

Neither is a direct way to climb the rankings in the way people often assume. Their main job is persuasion: a clear title and a useful description earn more clicks from the same position. A better click rate at the same ranking is free traffic.

What Google says about title links

Google generates title links automatically. It draws on several sources: the title element, the main visible heading, other headings, og:title tags, prominent on-page text, anchor text pointing to the page and WebSite structured data. Google cannot manually change title links for individual sites.

Google also lists situations where it may replace your title with something else: a half-empty title such as a missing product name, an obsolete date, a title that does not match the page, many pages with near-identical titles, no clear main heading, a language mismatch, or a repeated site name. Changes you make can take from a few days to a few weeks to be noticed.

Its practical advice: give every page a title, keep it descriptive and concise, avoid vague text such as "Home", avoid keyword stuffing and boilerplate, add your brand name briefly with a separator, and make the main heading on the page match the topic.

Length is pixels, not characters

You will see advice such as "keep titles under 60 characters". Google's own documentation says there is no limit on title length and that title links are truncated as needed, typically to fit the device width. The same is true of descriptions: no limit, with truncation to fit the width.

Width is measured in space on screen, not in letters. A title full of narrow letters like "i" and "l" fits more than one full of wide ones like "W" and "M", and the available width differs between phones and desktops. A title of 65 characters may show in full on one search and be cut on another.

So treat character counts as a rough guide only. A sensible habit is to put the important words first, aim for a title that reads well even if the last few words are cut, and avoid stuffing. Google does not publish a pixel cap, and we would not trust anyone who quotes one as a hard rule.

What Google says about snippets

Google mainly builds the snippet from the page's own content, tailored to each search, so the same page can show different snippets for different queries. It may use your meta description when it describes the page better than the on-page text.

This is why you will sometimes see a description you never wrote. That is normal and not an error. It means Google found a passage that matched the search more closely. You can influence it by writing clear opening paragraphs that answer the question straight away.

Google's advice for descriptions: write a unique one per page, summarize what the page covers rather than listing keywords, and include useful facts such as price or date where relevant. Programmatic descriptions are acceptable on large sites as long as they are readable and varied.

How to write them for humans

1Decide what the searcher is trying to do. Are they comparing, buying, learning or looking for a place? See search intent.
2Put the main topic in the first words of the title, in the words a customer would use, not internal jargon.
3Be specific. A number, a place, a price range or a clear benefit beats a general claim.
4Add your brand at the end, short, after a separator.
5Write the description as a promise and a reason: what the page gives, and why this page.
6Make it truthful. If the page does not deliver what the snippet says, people leave fast.
7Give every page its own pair. Duplicate titles across a site are one of the situations Google names as a reason to rewrite them.

Before and after examples

Page	Before	After	Why it is better
Home page	Home \| Smith Plumbing	Emergency Plumber in Leeds \| Smith Plumbing	Says what you do and where. "Home" is the vague text Google tells you to avoid.
Service page	Plumbing Services Plumber Boiler Repair Leaks Drains Heating Plumbing	Boiler Repair in Leeds, Same-Day Visits Available \| Smith Plumbing	Reads as a sentence, not a keyword list. Stuffing is on Google's avoid list.
Blog post	Our Blog Post About Heating	How Often Should You Service a Boiler? A Plain Guide	Matches a real question and tells the reader what to expect.
Description	Plumber Leeds plumber boiler plumber cheap plumber best plumber	Fixed-price boiler repairs and servicing across Leeds. Gas Safe registered engineers, clear quotes before work starts. Book online or call.	Summarizes the page, gives reasons to choose it, and has no keyword list.

Only claim what is true. If you mention a registration or a same-day service, make sure it is accurate and that you can deliver it.

What to do when Google rewrites yours

First check whether the rewrite is actually worse. Sometimes Google's version is clearer than ours. If it is worse, look at the reasons Google lists: is the title a half-empty "| Brand", does your main heading say something different, is the same title used on many pages? Fix the underlying cause rather than rewriting the same title again.

Changes can take days to weeks to show. You can ask for a recrawl of important pages in Search Console, but do not expect an instant change. Avoid changing titles repeatedly while you wait, because you will not know what worked.

Worked example: a better click rate without a better ranking

Example: Same position, more visitors

A dentist's "teeth whitening" page sits at position 6 and gets 2,000 impressions a month with about 40 clicks, which is 2 percent. The title was "Services | Bright Dental". They change it to "Teeth Whitening in Bristol: Prices and What to Expect | Bright Dental", and rewrite the description to mention the price range and a free consultation. A month or two later, impressions are similar and clicks are higher. The ranking did not change. People simply had a better reason to click. Your numbers will differ, and nothing guarantees a gain, but this is the logic.

When to ask us

Send a request through the support form if you want titles rewritten across the site, if Google keeps showing a wrong title, or if you want us to review your top pages. Updating titles on a handful of pages may fit within your website update hours.

The page addresses.
A screenshot link of what Google shows now.
The wording you would like, or the goal for the page.
Any facts we must keep exactly, such as prices or registrations.

Questions people ask

How long should my title tag be?

Google sets no limit, but it shortens titles to fit the screen width, so very long ones get cut off. Because width depends on the letters and the device, character counts are only a rough guide. Put the most important words first and make sure the title still makes sense if the end is cut. Concise and descriptive beats long and crammed.

Why is Google showing a different title than the one I wrote?

Google builds title links automatically from several sources and may replace yours if it spots an issue, such as a vague or half-empty title, an outdated date, near-identical titles on many pages, or a title that does not match the page. Fix the cause, keep your main heading consistent with the title, and allow days to weeks for the change to be noticed.

Do meta descriptions affect rankings?

Google presents them as a source for the snippet, not as a way to push a page up. Their value is in the click: a clear description gives searchers a reason to choose you over the result next to you. Write one per page and expect Google to sometimes use text from the page instead if it matches the search better.

Should I put my keyword in every title?

Put the main topic in the title in natural words, once. Repeating it, or listing many variations, is keyword stuffing, which Google advises against and which can lead to a rewrite. Write for a person who is deciding whether to click. If the title reads like something a human would say, it is almost always fine for search too.

Do I need to include my brand name in titles?

It is useful on most pages, placed briefly at the end after a separator, because it builds recognition. Google suggests branding titles concisely. Avoid repeating the site name within the title, as duplication is one of the situations that can cause a rewrite. On the home page, the brand often comes first.