Title tags and meta descriptions: how to write ones that get the click

Your title tag and meta description are the first thing most people see of your website: the blue headline and the two lines of grey text in a Google result. They don't need to be clever. They need to tell a searcher, in a glance, that this page answers their question.

Here's how to write them for any kind of page, and how to check them.

What they are

• The title tag is the page's title in the HTML (<title>). It appears as the clickable headline in search results and in the browser tab. It's one of the clearest signals of what a page is about.
• The meta description is a short summary in the HTML (<meta name="description">). It often appears as the text under the headline. It doesn't directly affect rankings, but a good one earns more clicks.

Every page should have its own of each. Duplicates make pages compete with each other and look identical in results.

How long?

Google cuts titles and descriptions by pixel width, not characters, so these are guidelines:

• Title: about 50–60 characters. Longer titles get cut off with "…".
• Meta description: about 140–160 characters. On phones, less is shown, so put the important words first.

Our free Google snippet preview shows how your title and description look in a result as you type, and warns you when they're too long.

Why Google sometimes rewrites them

Google may show a different title or description from the one you wrote, especially when yours is missing, too long, stuffed with keywords, or doesn't match what the searcher asked. You can't fully control this, but titles that accurately describe the page and descriptions that summarize it honestly are rewritten much less often.

Formulas that work

Homepage

• Title: [What you do] for [who] | [Brand]
• Example: "Invoicing Software for Freelancers | Tallybird"
• Description: what you offer, for whom, and one reason to choose you.

Service page (local or professional services)

• Title: [Service] in [Area] | [Brand]
• Example: "Sports Physiotherapy in Larkfield | Larkfield Physio"
• Description: what the service treats or solves, who it's for, and how to book.

Product page

• Title: [Product name] – [key attribute] | [Brand]
• Description: the main benefit, a concrete detail (material, size, what's included), and a practical reason to buy (delivery, returns, guarantee).

Pricing page

• Title: Pricing | [Brand] is fine; [Brand] pricing: plans from $X a month is better if your prices are public.

Blog post or guide

• Title: the question or phrase people search for, written naturally. "How to Send Your First Invoice (Step by Step)".
• Description: what the reader will learn and why it's worth their time.

(Tallybird and Larkfield Physio are made-up examples.)