Title tag and meta description: how to write them and why Google rewrites them

The title tag is the text of a page's <title> element and the meta description is the text of <meta name="description">: the two pieces usually seen in a Google result. Google treats them as a starting point, but rewrites them when they do not describe the page well. There is no official character limit: results are truncated to fit the screen width.

To check it on your own site: SEO audit

They are the most visible part of SEO and the part with the most myths, especially about length. This guide sums up what Google documents, with examples of what works and of what triggers a rewrite.

What are the title tag and the meta description?

The title tag is the content of the <title> element, which sits in the HTML <head> and names the page; the meta description is a short summary of the page in a <meta> tag. Neither appears in the body of the page. The title shows in the browser tab and in bookmarks; both can appear in the search result.

In the result, Google calls the headline that leads to the page a title link, and the text underneath it a snippet12.

<head>
  <!-- Title: unique, specific, with the brand at the end after a separator -->
  <title>Women's trail running shoes | Example Outdoor</title>

  <!-- Meta description: a summary that convinces searchers the page has what they want -->
  <meta name="description" content="Waterproof women's trail running shoes in UK sizes 3 to 9. Next-day delivery and free returns within 30 days.">

  <!-- Optional: a character cap for the snippet (and for what AI Overviews and AI Mode use) -->
  <meta name="robots" content="max-snippet:160">
</head>
<body>
  <!-- H1: the main visible title, saying the same as the title tag -->
  <h1>Women's trail running shoes</h1>

  <!-- data-nosnippet: this block will not be used in the snippet (span, div and section only) -->
  <div data-nosnippet>Prices valid while stocks last.</div>
</body>

Does Google always use your title and description?

No: title links and snippets are generated automatically, and your tags are one of several sources. For the title, Google looks at the <title> element, the main visual title shown on the page, heading elements such as <h1>, the og:title meta tag, other large and prominent text or other text on the page, anchor text on links pointing to the page, and WebSite structured data1.

Even so, the <title> element wins most of the time. In September 2021, after adjusting its system, Google said it used the title element around 87 % of the time, up from 80 % before the change3. When it does change it, it is usually because it has detected a problem with the page1.

The description works the other way round. Google says snippets are created primarily from the page content itself, and that it uses the meta description when it thinks the description is more accurate than text taken directly from the page. That is why the same page can show different snippets for different searches2.

How many characters should a title or meta description have?

Google sets no character limit for either. Its documentation uses the same words in both cases: there is no length limit, but the result is truncated as needed, typically to fit the device width12.

The figures that circulate, along the lines of "60 characters for the title and 155 for the description", are approximations by third-party tools, not Google rules. Truncation depends on width, and an "m" takes up more room than an "i". Many audit tools, SmoothSeen included, warn when a title or description falls outside a guideline range: treat that as a warning that it may be cut off or is too thin, not as a requirement.

What Google does ask is that you avoid unnecessarily long or verbose titles1. Two practical consequences:

1. Put the important part first. If truncation happens, let it take the brand, not the topic of the page.
2. If you want a cap, use max-snippet. It is the documented way to set a maximum number of characters for the snippet. Note that the limit also applies to what AI Overviews and AI Mode can use from the page4, which matters if you want to appear in Google AI Overviews.

How do you write a good title?

These are Google's recommendations for the <title> element1:

• One on every page, descriptive and concise. No "Home" or "Profile".
• No keyword stuffing. Repeating "trainers, cheap trainers, buy trainers" helps nobody and can look spammy.
• No repeated boilerplate across pages. Each title describes its own page.
• Keep branding concise. At the start or the end, separated by a hyphen, colon or pipe.
• In the language of the content. The same language and writing system as the main text.
• One clear main title on the page. If several headings carry the same visual weight, Google may be unsure which one is the real title.

Google's SEO Starter Guide puts it in a sentence: a good title is unique, clear and concise, and accurately describes the contents of the page5.

How do you write a good meta description?

A good meta description convinces the searcher that the page has exactly what they need. Google compares it to a pitch and offers these guidelines2:

• Unique for every page. Identical or similar descriptions across the site do not help when pages appear in results.
• With specific facts. On a product page, the price, size or delivery time; on an article, the author and date. Google's own example is a book page with the author, illustrator, price and page count.
• Generated programmatically if needed. On sites with thousands of product pages, Google is fine with building descriptions from each page's data, as long as they read as text and not as a list.
• No strings of keywords. A run of terms does not say what is on the page and is less likely to be shown.

Do not write it with rankings in mind. Google made this clear in 2009: although it sometimes uses the meta description for the snippet, it does not use it to rank pages6. Its job is the click, not the position.

Duplicate titles and descriptions: the most fixable problem

A duplicate title is the same <title> on several pages about different things. It usually starts in a template: every product in a category labelled "Products | Shop", every episode page in a series carrying the same name without the season number.

Google has a name for this, micro-boilerplate, and explains what it does: it looks for prominent text on the page that tells each one apart, such as the season number, and adds it to the title link1. In other words, it fixes the problem for you when it can, but with the result it chooses.

The fix is almost always in the template: build the title and description from each page's data (product name, category, city, date) instead of fixed text. To find the repeats, export the titles with a crawler and sort them; on a small site, checking the source of one page per template is enough. It is one of the first items in an SEO audit.

Should the title and the H1 be the same?

They do not have to match word for word, but they should say the same thing. The <h1> is the headline for someone already on the page; the <title> is for someone still deciding, and it usually carries the brand as well.

Google uses both: the main visible title and the headings are sources for the title link1. If the <title> says one thing and the <h1> another, Google may decide the title does not describe the page and rewrite it. Its own example: a <title> reading "2020 admissions" on a page whose visible headline says 2021 ends up showing 2021 in the result1.

The title also matters outside Google. The WCAG accessibility guidelines require, at level A, that each page has a title describing its topic or purpose, because it helps people identify and tell pages apart without reading their content7.

Good and bad examples

The reasons in the table summarise Google's documentation on title links and snippets12. After changing a title, be patient: Google has to recrawl and reprocess the page, which can take from a few days to a few weeks1.

What does SmoothSeen check?

A declaration of interest: this blog belongs to SmoothSeen, a web audit tool. On the URL you analyse, it checks whether the page has a title and meta description and warns when their length falls outside a guideline range, together with the rest of the crawling and indexing checks explained in the guide to technical SEO. There is a summary in what the SEO analysis measures.

What it cannot tell you is whether Google rewrites your title: you only see that by searching for the page on Google. For the other factors that shape results, go back to the guide to what SEO is.

Frequently asked questions

Why does Google change my page title?

Because the title link is generated automatically and the title element is only one of its sources. Google mainly changes it when it spots a problem: a half-empty or outdated title, one that does not describe the page, one repeated across many pages, or several headings competing for attention. Check those cases and make sure the title and the H1 say the same thing.

How long should a meta description be?

Google does not give a number. It says there is no length limit and that snippets are truncated as needed, typically to fit the device width. The usual figures are approximations from tools. Write what someone needs to understand the page and decide to click, with the most important part first in case it gets cut off.

Does the meta description affect rankings?

According to Google, no: in 2009 it explained that, although it sometimes uses the meta description for the snippet, it does not take it into account when ranking pages. The effect is indirect, because a clear description with specific facts helps searchers choose your result. That is why it is still worth writing, especially for your most important pages.

What happens if I leave out the meta description?

Google builds the snippet from text on the page itself, which is what it does in most cases anyway. The risk is that it picks an unrepresentative passage, such as a cookie notice or a menu. Writing your own description for important pages gives it a better option, although there is no guarantee it will use it.

What to do next

Search Google for your five most important pages and compare the title and snippet it shows with your <title> and meta description. If Google has changed them, use the examples table to find the problem and fix it in the template, not page by page. To see a page's title and description reviewed alongside the rest of its technical analysis, run a free SEO audit with SmoothSeen.