Title Tag Length

How much of a title shows, and why Google changes some.

A title tag has no maximum length as far as Google is concerned: its documentation says a <title> can be any length, and the title link in results is truncated as needed to fit the device. What gets cut is decided by width, not by counting characters, because results use a proportional font. A title of capitals and wide letters runs out of room long before one of thin letters with the same number of characters.

That's why advice like "keep titles under 60 characters" is a rule of thumb rather than a limit. On desktop, roughly 600 pixels of 20px Arial fit before an ellipsis; that figure is our approximation from how results render, the same model our SERP preview and title tag checker use, and Google doesn't publish it. Below are measured examples, the limits worth knowing, the places Google takes title links from and the common reasons it writes its own instead of using yours.

Last reviewed October 2, 2026 against the sources below.

Length limits at a glance

Limit	Detail	Source
Google's stated limit	None. Google says a <title> can be any length; the title link is truncated as needed, typically to fit the device width.	Google Search Central
Desktop display (approximation)	About 600px of 20px Arial before an ellipsis. Our estimate from how results render; Google doesn't publish it and changes layouts.	Our measuring model
Mobile display (approximation)	About 640px at 18px, usually over up to two lines, so a little more room than desktop.	Our measuring model
Character rule of thumb	50 to 60 characters usually fits on desktop, but wide letters (W, M, capitals) fit fewer and thin ones (i, l, t) more. Check the pixel width when it's close.	Common practice
Too short	Under about 30 characters often leaves out what the page is about or who it's for.	Common practice

Characters vs pixels: examples

Measured with our SERP preview's Arial model. The two middle titles have the same characters; capitals alone push one past the limit.

Title	Characters	Desktop width	Desktop	Mobile
Pour-Over Coffee Guide \| Northwind Coffee	41	about 386px	Fits	Fits
Whole Bean Espresso Roast, 1 kg Bag \| Northwind Coffee Co.	58	about 553px	Fits	Fits
WHOLE BEAN ESPRESSO ROAST, 1 KG BAG \| NORTHWIND COFFEE CO.	58	about 696px	Likely cut off	Fits
Pour-Over Coffee Guide: Grind Size, Ratio, Water Temperature and Timing \| Northwind Coffee	90	about 838px	Likely cut off	Likely cut off

Why Google rewrites title links

The common issues Google's documentation lists, and the fix for each.

Issue	What it looks like	Fix
Half-empty title	The title is missing words or is only the site name, for example "\| Northwind Coffee".	Write a title for every page that says what that page is.
Obsolete title	The title shows an old date or year while the page has been updated.	Update the title with the content, or leave the date out.
Inaccurate title	The title doesn't reflect what's on the page.	Describe the page's actual main content.
Micro-boilerplate	Many similar pages repeat the same title, so it doesn't tell them apart.	Put what makes each page different into its title.
No clear main title	Several headings look equally prominent, so it's unclear which is the page's title.	Make one main heading stand out on the page.
Language or script mismatch	The title is in a different language or writing system than the page's content.	Match the title to the page's language.
Repeated site name	The title repeats the site name that results already show beside it, so Google may drop it from the title link.	Brand concisely, once, separated with a delimiter such as \| or -.

Where Google takes title links from

Title links are generated automatically from these sources; there's no way to request a manual change.

Source	What it is
<title> element	The title you write in the page's head.
Main visual title or headline	The title shown most prominently on the page.
Heading elements such as <h1>	The page's headings.
og:title meta tag	The Open Graph title.
Large, prominent text	Text styled to stand out on the page.
Other content on the page	Text from the body of the page.
Anchor text on the page	The text of links within the page.
Text in links pointing to the page	How other pages link to it.
WebSite structured data	Schema.org WebSite markup.

Good to know

Front-load what matters

Since the end of a long title is what gets cut, put the words that describe the page first and the brand last. A truncated title that still says what the page is works far better than one that loses its subject.

Rewrites aren't penalties

A rewritten title link doesn't mean anything is wrong with the page's ranking. It means Google judged other text on the page to describe it better. A descriptive, accurate, unique title for each page is the best way to be shown as written, but nothing guarantees it.

Sources

Search engines and AI companies change their documentation often; check the source before relying on a detail.