Google doesn’t have a character limit for meta titles. On desktop it shows about 600 pixels of title, which works out to roughly 50–60 characters of normal text, and cuts the rest with “…”. On a Shopify store the real budget is smaller than that, because most themes add ” – Store Name” to the end of every title after you’ve typed it.
My opinion, plainly: stop counting characters. A 48-character title in capitals can be cut while a 66-character lowercase one fits. Write for pixels, write the store name into your budget, and put the words people search for first. If you want to see where your own title breaks, paste it into the free Meta Title Length Checker. It measures pixel width, adds your theme’s store name and shows the Google preview, all in your browser.
The numbers that actually matter in 2026
| What | Rough limit | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop title | About 600 px at 20 px Arial (usually 50–60 characters) | Anything wider is cut with “…” |
| Mobile title | Can wrap onto a second line, so a little more fits | Don’t rely on it. Write for the desktop cut-off. |
| Meta description | About 920 px on desktop (usually 150–160 characters) | The first line is the part that survives every cut |
| Shopify admin counter | 70 characters for the title, 160 for the description | A guide only. It ignores the store name your theme adds. |
| Theme suffix | ” – Store Name” on Dawn and most Online Store 2.0 themes | Often 100–200 px you never see in admin |
Google still reads the whole title tag, so a cut-off title isn’t a ranking penalty. What it costs you is clicks: a result ending in “…” right before the product type or the brand looks unfinished next to the store below it.
Why pixels beat characters
Letters aren’t the same width. At Google’s title size, ten “W”s take about 189 px and ten “i”s about 44 px, more than four times less. Capitals, “M”, “W” and wide numbers eat the budget fast; lowercase “i”, “l”, “t” and “f” barely touch it. A separator costs space too: ” – ” is about 22 px and ” | ” about 16 px.
That’s why “keep it under 60 characters” is only a rough rule. It’s right for average text and wrong at both ends.
Worked example: the title that fits in admin and breaks on Google
Say a wallet store called Northline Goods writes this product title:
- Slim Leather Wallet for Men, RFID Blocking, 8 Card Slots: 56 characters, about 506 px. Shopify’s counter is happy and it fits.
- The theme adds ” – Northline Goods”. Now it’s 74 characters and about 673 px.
- Google shows roughly “Slim Leather Wallet for Men, RFID Blocking, 8 Card Slots – Nor…” The store name gets chopped in half.
The fix isn’t a shorter brand. It’s a title that says one thing: Slim RFID Leather Wallet for Men – Northline Goods is about 465 px with the suffix included. “8 card slots” moves to the meta description, where it’s a reason to click rather than clutter.
Worked example: where “under 60 characters” is the wrong answer
Take two hypothetical titles:
- WOMENS WINTER WOOL COAT – MAPLE & MOSS OUTERWEAR: only 48 characters, but about 611 px. Cut.
- Lightweight linen shirts for hot weather, slim fit and relaxed fit: 66 characters, about 539 px. Fits with room to spare.
The character rule would pass the first and fail the second. Google does the opposite. The same coat title in normal case is about 488 px, so the capitals alone cost over 120 px. If your brand is styled in caps, keep it in caps in the logo, not in the title tag.
What moves your title width
| Change | From → to | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Case | ALL CAPS → Title case | Often 20–25% narrower |
| Store name | Typed in and added by the theme → once, at the end | Stops the brand appearing twice or being cut |
| Filler words | “Buy online”, “Best quality”, “Free shipping” → removed | Frees 100+ px for the product type |
| Specs | Sizes, slot counts, colour lists → meta description | Title stays readable, description gets a reason to click |
| Separator | ” – ” → ” | “ | Saves about 6 px. Rarely worth a theme edit on its own. |
Where to change it in Shopify
For a product, collection, page or blog post, open it in Shopify admin, scroll to Search engine listing, click the pencil, and edit Page title and Meta description. The homepage title lives in Online Store → Preferences. Then open the live page source once and search for <title, so you know exactly what your theme adds. Some themes use a pipe, some add nothing at all.
If Google shows a different title from the one you wrote, it has rewritten it. That usually happens with titles that are too long, stuffed with keywords, or don’t match the page’s main heading. Short titles that match the H1 get rewritten far less.
What I’d do
- Write the store name into your budget. Check the live page source for your theme’s suffix, then keep everything you type under about 450 px, so the full title stays under 600 px.
- Lead with what people search. Product titles answer “what is it and which one”; collection titles answer “what can I choose from”. Brand last, once. The homepage is the one exception, because people search the brand there.
- Check your top 10 pages, not all 400. Paste your best-selling products and main collections into the meta title checker with the store name box ticked. Fix the ones that cut, and leave the rest until they matter.
While you’re tidying how your store looks in search, Favicon Sizes for a Shopify Theme covers the little icon Google shows next to your result, and the Favicon Generator for Shopify makes one that still reads at 32 px.
Work with me
I’m Faraz, a Shopify and AI automation consultant. If you want your store’s titles, descriptions and search setup cleaned up properly, or small tools built for your own workflow, I can help. Get in touch at farazhussain.com or WhatsApp +92 334 3454747.
Store names and titles here are illustrative examples. Pixel widths are estimates using Arial metrics at Google’s desktop size, and Google can change how it displays results, so check your own live listings.