SERP Simulator

What is a SERP simulator?

A SERP simulator shows how a page's title tag, URL and meta description will look in Google's search results before the page goes live. Google cuts long titles and descriptions to fit the screen, and it measures that space in pixels, not characters. This tool measures your text the same way, so you can see exactly where it would be cut off.

How to use this SERP simulator

1. Paste a page URL and click Fetch data to load its current title tag and meta description. You can also type them in.
2. Add your site name, which Google shows above the URL.
3. Edit the title and description. The meters turn red when the text is wider than Google shows.
4. Add the words people search for under Bold keywords to see them highlighted, the way Google bolds matching words.
5. Switch between Desktop and Mobile, because mobile shows less of the description.
6. Click Copy meta tags to copy the finished HTML into your page or SEO plugin.

Title tag and meta description length in 2026

Google doesn't set a maximum length for either one. Its documentation says title links and snippets are "truncated in Google Search results as needed, typically to fit the device width." In practice, these are the widths this simulator uses:

Character counts are only a rough guide, because letters differ in width. A capital W takes up several times the space of a lowercase i, so a 55-character title full of wide letters can be cut while a 65-character one fits. That's why the meters show pixels as well as characters.

Why Google may show a different title or description

The preview shows what you control: your title element and meta description. Google doesn't always use them.

• Titles: Google builds title links from several sources, including the <title> element, the main heading on the page, og:title tags and the anchor text of links to the page. A vague, stuffed or misleading title is more likely to be replaced.
• Descriptions: Google says snippets are "primarily created from the page content itself." It uses the meta description when that describes the page more accurately for the search.

A clear title that matches your H1, plus a specific description written for that page, gives Google the best reason to show your version. Sources: Google Search Central on title links and snippets.

How to write a title and description that earn the click

Title tag

• Put the main keyword near the start, so it survives if the title is cut.
• Make one clear promise: what the page is and why it's worth opening.
• Keep brand text short. Google suggests putting your site name at the start or end, separated by a delimiter such as a dash or pipe.
• Don't repeat the same keyword. Google warns that repetition can make results look spammy.

Meta description

• Write a different description for every page. Google says identical descriptions across a site aren't helpful.
• Include specifics: what's on the page, a number, a price or the problem it solves.
• Put the most important point in the first 100 or so characters, so it still shows on mobile.
• Use the words people actually search, since Google bolds them in the snippet.

For more on titles, see our title tag guide. To check the page copy itself, try the content quality checker or read our guide to SEO copywriting.

What this SERP simulator can't show

• Rich results: star ratings, sitelinks, images and other extras depend on your structured data and on Google.
• Google's rewrites: the preview shows your own title and description, not the version Google may generate.
• Every device exactly: widths are measured in Arial at Google's font sizes. Real cut-off points vary a little by device, browser and language.