Lead with the topic
Put the main keyword near the start of the title, written the way people search for it.
Free tools / Meta title and description checker
Meta title and description checker
See how your page could look in Google before you publish. Check the length in pixels, not just characters, spot missing keywords, and copy clean meta tags.
- Free
- No sign-up
- Runs in your browser. Nothing is sent or saved
Checker
Search result preview
rankwithjames.comhttps://rankwithjames.com › blog-keyword-clustering
An approximate preview. Google sometimes rewrites titles and descriptions, and the exact cut-off depends on the device.
Writing tips
What makes a title and description get the click
Fit the space
Titles are cut at roughly 600 pixels on desktop. Keep the important words before that point.
Answer the question
Use the description to say what the reader gets, in one or two plain sentences.
One page, one promise
Every page needs its own title and description. Duplicates make pages compete with each other.
FAQs
Meta tag questions
Why measure in pixels instead of characters?
Google cuts titles by width, not by a character count. Wide letters like W and M take more space than i or l, so two titles with the same number of characters can be cut in different places.
How long should a meta description be?
Around 120 to 155 characters usually shows in full on desktop. Shorter is fine if it says what the reader needs to know.
Does the meta description affect rankings?
Not directly. It affects whether people click your result, and more clicks from the same position means more visitors.
Why did Google show a different title for my page?
Google rewrites titles it thinks don’t describe the page well, for example when they’re very long, stuffed with keywords, or don’t match the main heading.
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