SERP Snippet & Truncation Checker
Free, no signup. Measure title and description widths with consistent font stand-ins and compare them with configurable preview guidance. Google does not publish a fixed pixel cutoff and may rewrite either field.
Compare title variants
Score up to two alternatives beside the title above. Scores are directional writing heuristics, not CTR predictions.
Example data — replace with your own
Runs entirely in your browser — nothing you paste is uploaded or stored. Anonymous run-level outcome counters may be used for aggregate research; URLs, domains, IPs, and identifiers are never included, and no statistic is released below 100 runs.
Google can choose or reshape title links and snippets based on the search context. Treat every configured width and status here as editing guidance, not a display guarantee.
What this result means ↓| # | Title | Desktop title | Mobile title | Desktop desc. | Mobile desc. | Impressions | Flags |
|---|
Your file is parsed locally in your browser and never uploaded. Flags marked "rewrite risk" are patterns that tend to trigger Google rewrites — hints, not verdicts.
Sample report Illustrative example — use the checker above for a live measurement
Say you enter this title and description for a page on acme.com:
…and the desktop preview returns:
- The title exceeds this product's desktop preview setting. It measures 642px against the configured 580px width; the simulation fades the remainder after "Enterprise." See what PASS/WARNING/ERRORS mean for how the thresholds work.
- The description only warns. 874 of 920px remains within the configured mobile preview width but close enough to review — treat it as a product cue, not a display prediction.
- The practical edit is front-loading. Put the distinct part of the title first and
consider a shorter draft, e.g.
Technical SEO Audits for Enterprise Sites | Acme, then re-check. - For the writing rules behind these numbers, see the title tag and meta description guides.
How to use it
- Type or paste your title tag and meta description into the Single check form. A live character count sits under each field.
- Add the page URL so the preview shows a realistic domain, favicon, and breadcrumb.
- Read the two previews — Desktop and Mobile — side by side. Text beyond the configured preview width is faded, and each has a guidance badge.
- Check the width meters under each preview for the measured width against the selected preview setting; toggle Dark SERP or Copy shareable link as needed.
- Got a site export? Switch to the Bulk (CSV) tab, map your columns, and check every row at once with a downloadable results CSV.
Site passport Local context for this saved site
Local data
Saved targets, named lists, and recent check summaries remain only in this browser.
Rate this tool
This checker measures title-tag and meta-description widths with consistent font stand-ins and compares them with configurable preview settings. Read the title tag and meta description guides for the writing rules behind the numbers.
What the results mean
Every field gets a pixel width and a status colour on the meter, rolled up into a badge per device:
- PASS (green) — the text fits comfortably within this product's configured preview band for that device.
- WARN (amber) — the text is past the product's warning threshold but remains inside its configured preview width.
- ERRORS (red) — the text exceeds the configured preview width; the faded tail shows the portion outside that product setting, not where Google is guaranteed to cut it.
| Rating | Desktop title | Mobile title | Character count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass | ≤ 480 px | ≤ 700 px | A rough secondary check |
| Warn | 481–580 px | 701–920 px | Measure rendered pixels |
| Fail | > 580 px | > 920 px | Never decide by characters alone |
In the Bulk tab, each row also carries text flags:
- missing title / missing description — the field is empty in that row.
- duplicate title — the exact title appears on more than one row in the file.
- rewrite risk — product heuristics for patterns worth reviewing, such as all-caps titles, very short titles, keyword repetition, boilerplate prefixes, or emoji. They do not predict a rewrite.
How it works
Everything runs client-side. The tool draws your text onto an off-screen HTML canvas and calls
measureText with controlled web fonts — Arimo (metrically compatible with Arial)
for desktop, Roboto for mobile — to get a consistent rendered pixel width. Because measurements depend
on the font, the tool waits for document.fonts.ready before computing, so numbers come
from the real metrics rather than a fallback face.
A binary search finds the longest prefix that fits the configured preview width, which drives the faded tail in the simulation. The product settings live in one small config file and carry a last verified date that hides itself once it goes stale.
Features
- Consistent measured-width title and description previews using Arial- and Roboto-metric web fonts.
- Separate desktop and mobile simulations with consistent font stand-ins, single-line vs. wrapping titles, and configurable per-device preview widths.
- Live faded-width preview plus a measured-width meter and guidance badge per field.
- Favicon-style site marker, site name, and breadcrumb rendered from the URL you enter; Dark SERP toggle.
- Shareable links that encode your title/description/URL in the URL fragment.
- Bulk CSV/TSV mode with column mapping, duplicate + rewrite-risk detection, and results export — all parsed locally.
Limitations
Google can pick and reshape snippets and title links based on search context, so the configured preview widths are editing guidance, not published limits or display guarantees. The tool only shows a verification date after live-SERP calibration, and hides stale dates. The previews are a faithful mock, not a live pull from Google; they don't fetch your page, render rich results (sitelinks, ratings, dates), or reflect personalisation. The "rewrite risk" flags are heuristics that flag patterns Google tends to rewrite, not verdicts.
Frequently asked questions
Why measure title tags in pixels instead of characters?
Google does not publish a fixed pixel cutoff for title links or snippets, and it may rewrite either field. Proportional text still means an “m” takes more space than an “i.” This tool uses consistent Arial-compatible and Roboto font metrics to compare drafts with configurable preview widths; the result is guidance, not a guarantee of Google’s display.
How many pixels wide can a title tag be before it truncates?
Google does not publish a fixed cutoff. This tool currently uses configurable 580px desktop and 920px mobile preview settings, with a warning band below each one. Those values are product guidance, not Google limits or a prediction of where a real result will be shortened or rewritten.
Will Google always show the meta description I write?
No. Google primarily creates snippets from page content and may use the meta descriptionThe meta description is an HTML head tag — `<meta name="description" content="…">` — that suggests a short summary of the page for the search snippet. It's not a Google ranking factor, and Google rewrites it the majority of the time, but a good one can still lift click-through. when it better describes the page for a search. Treat every width result and rewrite-risk pattern here as editing guidance, not a rule or display prediction.
What are the mobile and desktop previews showing me?
Two side-by-side mock listings — desktop (Arial-metric font) and mobile (Roboto-metric font) — with your URL, title, and description compared with configured preview widths. Text beyond a product setting is faded, and a meter reports measured width with a guidance badge.
Can I check a whole site export at once?
Yes. The Bulk (CSV) tab takes a Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, or CMS export, lets you map the title/description/URL columns, and checks every row in your browser. It flags drafts beyond the configured preview widths, duplicate titles, and heuristic rewrite-risk patterns, then lets you export the annotated results as CSV. The file is parsed locally and never uploaded.
Feature requests for Serp Snippet Checker
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Common issues & how to fix them
- Errors Search title is missing Fix: Add a unique, descriptive HTML title that names the page’s primary topic and matches its visible content.
- Warnings Search title is likely to truncate Fix: Rewrite the title so its measured pixel width fits the preview, placing the distinctive topic before lower-priority branding.
- Errors Meta description is missing Fix: Add a page-specific meta description that accurately summarizes the content and gives searchers a reason to choose the result.
- Warnings Meta description is likely to truncate Fix: Shorten the meta description until it fits the tool’s pixel-width limit, preserving the main benefit and differentiator near the start.
- Warnings Search title is unusually short Fix: Add accurate, distinctive page context while keeping the title concise and aligned with the visible content.
- Warnings Meta description is unusually short Fix: Add a concise page-specific summary and value proposition, while recognizing that Google may rewrite the snippet.