Use this free title length checker to verify your page title fits within Google's search result display width before publishing. Get an instant character count with a colour-coded indicator showing whether your title is optimal, borderline or too long.
A title that gets cut off mid-word in search results looks unprofessional and often loses its meaning. A YouTube title that's too long gets truncated in the sidebar. A blog title that's too short doesn't rank as competitively. Each platform has different display limits, and writing to those limits — rather than finding out after publishing — saves you from rewriting titles after the fact.
Paste your title in and this tool shows you exactly how it'll appear across different platforms and display contexts. It flags anything that'll be cut off so you can adjust before you publish.
Step 1 — Type or paste your title. Enter the title you've written. The character count updates instantly as you type, so you can edit directly in the tool until you find the right length.
Step 2 — Check each platform's display. Look at how the title appears at the YouTube search result size, the Google search result size, and the suggested video sidebar size. Pay particular attention to where cuts happen — make sure the cut doesn't land in a confusing or misleading place.
Step 3 — Trim the title to fit where it matters most. If you're primarily optimising for Google search, keep to 50-60 characters. For YouTube, the main feed and search display about 60-70 characters. Focus on the context where most of your traffic will come from.
Prioritising keyword inclusion over readability. A title stuffed with keywords to hit a character limit reads badly and gets fewer clicks even from a good ranking position. Click-through rate is an indirect SEO signal — a readable, compelling title that gets clicked will outperform a keyword-dense one that gets scrolled past.
Not checking how truncation affects meaning. Sometimes a title cuts off in a way that completely changes its meaning or sounds bizarre. Always read the truncated version and check it still makes sense and communicates the right thing.
Using the same title for YouTube and blog posts. A YouTube title and an article title serve different purposes. YouTube titles need to drive curiosity and work at a glance. Blog titles need to include the search keyword near the front. The same core idea often needs to be phrased differently for each platform.
Aim for 60-70 characters for YouTube. This fits within the main feed and search results without truncation on most devices. Anything over 100 characters is definitively too long. The most important keyword should appear in the first 40-50 characters.
Google typically displays up to 60 characters in desktop search results. On mobile, the display limit is slightly shorter. Titles that exceed this get truncated with '...' — keeping the key message within the first 60 characters is best practice.
The length itself doesn't affect ranking, but where key words appear within the title does. Search engines give slightly more weight to terms that appear at the start of a title. And click-through rate is an indirect SEO signal — titles that are the right length for their context tend to get more clicks.
The meta title is the HTML title tag — it appears in browser tabs, search results, and social previews. The H1 is the visible heading on the page. They don't need to be identical — the meta title can be more keyword-focused while the H1 is more engaging to readers on the page.
Search engines and social platforms display titles up to a pixel-width limit — when exceeded, titles are cut off with "...". A truncated title hides keywords and looks unprofessional. Getting the length right ensures the full, carefully crafted title appears everywhere it's shown.