# SERP preview tool: title and meta check

See how your title and meta description may look in Google on desktop, with pixel widths and where they may get cut. Free, in your browser.

Canonical: https://ignura.com/tools/serp-preview
Last updated: 2026-10-27
Author: Ignura

Google doesn’t set a character limit for titles or meta descriptions. It cuts them to fit the screen, so what matters is how wide the text is in pixels, not how many characters it has.

Google's [title link docs](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/title-link) say there's no limit on how long a title element can be; the title link is truncated in Google Search results as needed, typically to fit the device width. The same idea applies to snippets in Google's [snippet docs](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/snippet).

Google may also rewrite your title or show other text from the page instead of your description. A preview shows what you wrote, not a promise of what Google will show.

[Search not bringing in sign-ups? Talk it through in a free 15-min call](https://ignura.com/book?utm_source=tool&utm_medium=serp-preview&utm_content=intro)

## How this preview works

It measures your title with the browser's canvas at about 20px Arial, and shows your description in a 652px-wide, two-line box at about 14px Arial. Titles that pass about 600px get an ellipsis; descriptions that overflow two lines get one too. The cut points are our own measurement from a live Google results page on desktop, not a Google number.

Nothing you type is sent or stored. The URL field is only a label in the preview card.

## Questions

### How long should a title tag be?

Google doesn’t set a limit. It cuts titles to fit the screen, so check the pixel width and put the main words first. See [Google’s title link docs](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/title-link).

### How long should a meta description be?

There’s no limit, but Google cuts it to fit the screen and may show other text from the page instead. See [Google’s snippet docs](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/snippet).

### Why does Google show a different title from mine?

Google can rewrite titles, for example when they’re long, stuffed with keywords or don’t match the page. See [Google’s title link docs](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/title-link).

## Read next

- [SEO for startups with no budget: what to do in-house](https://ignura.com/blog/seo-for-startups-no-budget)
- [Nobody finds you on Google? How we fix search](https://ignura.com/technical-seo)
- [Meta title and description checker](https://ignura.com/tools/meta-tag-checker), for checking the tags on a live page by URL
- [UTM builder](https://ignura.com/tools/utm-builder), for tagging the links you share

Book a 15-minute call about your website: https://ignura.com/book