Meta Title Length Checker with Google SERP Preview
Paste a page title and meta description and see exactly how Google shows them on desktop: the pixel width (Google’s real limit is about 600 px, not 60 characters), the character count, and the point where Google cuts your title with “…”. Built for Shopify stores, so it also adds the “ – Store Name” that most themes quietly tack onto every title. Everything runs in your browser.
My strong opinion: the “60 characters” rule is why so many Shopify product titles get cut off. Google doesn’t count letters, it measures pixels. “WWWWWWWWWW” is more than four times wider than “iiiiiiiiii”. And the character counter in Shopify admin only counts what you typed, not the store name your theme adds after it.
Type a title to check it.
Widths use Arial metrics at Google’s desktop sizes (20 px titles, 14 px descriptions). Treat it as a close estimate: Google can change fonts, bold your search words, or rewrite the title entirely.
The Shopify store-name tax
Open layout/theme.liquid in Dawn and most Online Store 2.0 themes and you’ll find the title tag adds “ – {{ shop.name }}” to every page unless the title already contains the store name. You never see it in the Search engine listing box, but Google does. Here’s what that does to three typical titles (example stores):
| Page | Title you typed | Width | What Google shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawn suit store, product page Noor Lawn | Unstitched 3 Piece Embroidered Lawn Suit with Chiffon Dupatta – Summer Collection 2026 | 803 px → 921 px with “ – Noor Lawn” | Unstitched 3 Piece Embroidered Lawn Suit with Chiffon Dupatta … |
| Skincare store, collection page Glow Theory | Best Vitamin C Serums for Dark Spots, Dull Skin and Uneven Skin Tone | 639 px → 775 px with “ – Glow Theory” | Best Vitamin C Serums for Dark Spots, Dull Skin and Uneven … |
| Coffee roaster, product page Third Wave Coffee | Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Light Roast Whole Bean Coffee 250g | 515 px → 704 px with “ – Third Wave Coffee” | Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Light Roast Whole Bean Coffee 250g – … |
The coffee title is the sneaky one: at 515 px it fits fine in Shopify admin, then the theme adds “ – Third Wave Coffee” and Google cuts the store name and the pack size. The lawn title loses the season, and nobody searching “lawn suit with chiffon dupatta” needs “Summer Collection 2026” in the title anyway. The fix is not a shorter store name, it’s a title that says one thing:
- Embroidered 3 Piece Lawn Suit, Chiffon Dupatta – Noor Lawn (549 px, fits)
- Vitamin C Serums for Dark Spots and Dull Skin – Glow Theory (554 px, fits)
- Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Light Roast Beans 250g – Third Wave Coffee (587 px, fits)
Rule I use on client stores: product titles answer “what is it and which one”, collection titles answer “what can I choose from”. Seasons, “Buy online”, “Best quality” and “Free shipping” go in the description or nowhere.
How to change the title and description in Shopify
- Products, collections, pages, blog posts: open the item in Shopify admin, scroll to Search engine listing, click Edit (the pencil), then change Page title and Meta description. Save.
- Homepage: go to Online Store → Preferences and edit Homepage title and Homepage meta description.
- Paste the result into this checker with the store name box ticked, because that’s what the live page outputs.
- Check the live page source (search for
title) once, so you know exactly what suffix your theme adds. Some themes use a pipe, some add nothing.
Shopify’s own counter (70 characters for the title, 160 for the description) is a guide, not Google’s limit. A 58-character title in capital letters can still be cut; a 66-character lowercase title can fit.
Pixels vs characters: why your 55-character title still gets cut
- Capitals are wide. “M” and “W” take nearly four times the space of “i”, “l” or “t”. ALL-CAPS brand names burn through the 600 px fast.
- Separators matter. An en dash with spaces costs about 22 px; a pipe with spaces about 16 px. Small, but it adds up on long titles.
- Numbers and sizes are cheap to read but not cheap in pixels. “250g” is fine; “250 Grams (8.8 oz)” is a whole word you could have used for a benefit.
- Descriptions get two lines. On desktop that’s roughly 920 px at 14 px, usually 150–160 characters. Mobile can show a bit more, but write for the cut-off anyway.
FAQ
What is the meta title length limit for Google? There is no fixed character limit. Desktop results show about 600 px of title at 20 px Arial, which is usually 50–60 characters. Anything wider is cut with “…”.
Does a cut-off title hurt rankings? Not directly. Google still reads the whole tag. What it hurts is clicks: a title that ends in “…” right before the product type or store name looks unfinished next to competitors.
Why does Google show a different title from the one I wrote? Google rewrites titles it thinks are too long, stuffed with keywords or don’t match the page. Short, specific titles that match the H1 get rewritten far less.
Should my Shopify store name go first or last? Last, and only once. Lead with the product or category people search for. On the homepage, the store name can lead because that’s what people search.
How long should a Shopify meta description be? Aim for 120–155 characters, and put the reason to click (price range, delivery time, a material) in the first line, because that part survives every cut.
Is anything I type sent anywhere? No. The checker runs in your browser and stores nothing.