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How to Write Title Tags and Meta Descriptions That Get Clicks
What title tags and meta descriptions are for, how long they can be, and a simple method for writing ones that people actually click.
Ranking on the first page is only half the job. Once your page is there, the title and the short description under it are all a searcher sees before deciding where to click. Two pages in similar positions can get very different amounts of traffic purely because one of them has a clearer, more tempting snippet.
What each one does
The title tag is set in the page's <head> as <title>...</title>. It appears as the clickable headline in search results and as the text on the browser tab. It is also one of the clearest signals you can give search engines about what the page covers.
The meta description is set with <meta name="description" content="...">. Google has said for years that it is not a ranking factor, but it is often used as the grey snippet text below the title, which makes it your sales pitch.
How long can they be?
Google truncates titles and descriptions by width, not by a fixed number of characters. On desktop, a title has roughly 600 pixels before it is cut off with an ellipsis. That usually works out to 50 to 60 characters, but a title full of wide capital letters such as W and M runs out much sooner than one full of narrow letters such as i and l.
Descriptions get more room, typically around two lines on desktop, which is about 120 to 160 characters. On mobile the space is laid out differently, so the exact cut-off moves.
The easiest way to stay inside the limits is to test the actual text. The SERP Snippet Preview measures the pixel width as you type and shows the result on a desktop and a mobile layout.
A simple method for titles
- Lead with the topic. Put the words people search for near the start: "Image Compressor" before "Free Online Tool to...".
- Add what makes this page different. A benefit, a format or a number: "Reduce File Size Without Losing Quality", "15-Point Checklist", "for Beginners".
- End with the brand, if there is room. "| SEOpeck" at the end helps recognition but is the first thing to drop when space is tight.
- Keep it unique. Every page on your site should have its own title. Duplicate titles make it hard for search engines to tell pages apart.
A simple method for descriptions
- Answer "what will I get?" in the first sentence. Be specific about what is on the page.
- Add a reason to choose this result: free, no sign-up, step by step, updated this year, with examples.
- Use the words people searched for. Google often bolds matching words in the snippet, which catches the eye.
- Do not stuff keywords. A description that reads like a list of search terms looks like spam and gets skipped.
Examples: before and after
Before: "Home | My Website"
After: "Handmade Leather Wallets, Built to Last 20 Years | Oakline"
Before: "Blog post 14"
After: "How to Fix a Slow WordPress Site: 9 Checks in 30 Minutes"
The improved versions say what the page is, who it is for and why it is worth the click, and they fit in the space available.
Why Google sometimes ignores your title
Google may rewrite a title or pick a different snippet from the page when it thinks the one you wrote does not describe the page well, is stuffed with keywords, or is much too long. The best way to keep your own wording is to write titles that are accurate, specific and a sensible length.
Check the whole page, not just the snippet
A great snippet will not help a page that cannot be indexed. Once your title and description are written, run the page through the On-Page SEO Checker to confirm the tags are really on the page, that there is one clear H1, and that nothing is blocking search engines. If you need the full set of meta and social tags, the SEO Tags Generator writes them in one go.