Three steps
How to use the SERP preview tool
- Type or paste your title and description into the fields above. Add your page URL, brand name and target keyword if you want SERPsizer to watch them. Add a search query to see the words Google would bold, since bold text takes up more room.
- Read each device preview. Previews update as you type, grouped into mobile, tablet and desktop. Words that get cut off are marked, along with the reason they were cut.
- Fix what matters. Move your most important words to the front, trim filler, and check again until every device says Fits.
How it works
How Google cuts off titles and meta descriptions
Google hides text in two steps. SERPsizer models both.
Step 1: Google shortens the text before sending it. Titles are cut to fit about 600 pixels, measured in Google’s 22px desktop title font. Meta descriptions are cut at about 150 characters. Both cuts fall between words, and Google adds “ ...” to the end. This first cut is the same on every device.
Step 2: The screen’s line limit hides whatever doesn’t fit. On desktop and tablets, a title gets one line and a description gets two. On phones, a title gets two lines and a description gets three, but the lines are much narrower, so a phone can hide words that desktop shows.
That is why counting characters can’t tell you what searchers see. A title full of wide letters like W and M takes far more room than one full of narrow letters like i and l, and the same description can fit on an iPhone 17 Pro Max but be cut on an iPhone SE.
Accuracy
Why SERPsizer is more accurate than a length checker
- Google’s own fonts. Text is measured with the exact font files Google serves (Google Sans, Google Sans Flex and Roboto), not a stand-in like Arial.
- Measured, not estimated. Every word’s width is measured in your browser, and lines are wrapped the way Google’s results page wraps them, instead of guessing from an average letter width.
- Open-source measuring. The measuring and line wrapping is done by Pretext, an open-source text layout library by Cheng Lou. It measures text with your browser’s own font engine, and anyone can read its code to see exactly how the numbers are worked out.
- Checked against real results. Device profiles marked Verified were compared with what Google actually shows. Profiles not yet confirmed are clearly labelled Assumed or Experimental.
- Both desktop fonts. Google shows descriptions in Google Sans to some people and Roboto to others. SERPsizer warns you when that changes which words are visible.
Devices
Devices SERPsizer checks
Four devices are on by default: Android 360, iPhone 15 / 16, iPad and desktop. You can turn on the rest in Settings.
- iPhone: iPhone SE, iPhone 13 / 14, iPhone 15 / 16, iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone Pro Max, iPhone 17 Pro Max
- Android phones: Android 360, Android 384, Android 412 (the numbers are screen widths in pixels)
- Tablets: iPad (portrait, desktop layout), Android tablet (desktop layout)
- Desktop: Desktop (Google Sans), Desktop (Roboto descriptions)
Warnings
Warnings that catch real problems
A cut isn’t always a problem. A cut that hides your brand or leaves a sentence hanging is. SERPsizer flags these:
- Brand hidden: your brand name is cut off on at least one device.
- Keyword hidden: the keyword you’re targeting doesn’t fully show.
- Dangling end: the visible text ends on a word or symbol like “to”, “for”, “&”, “|” or “:”, so it reads as broken.
- Font sensitive: the visible words change depending on which font Google uses.
- Tight: the text fits, but with so little room left that a small edit could get it cut.
Bulk
Bulk title and meta description checker
Need to check a whole site? Open Bulk and drop in a CSV, JSON or NDJSON file with url, title and description columns. Exports from SEO crawlers such as Screaming Frog work as they are. SERPsizer checks every row on every enabled device. You can then filter by cut, tight or warning, open any page to see its previews, and export the results as CSV, JSON or a text report.
Got questions
Frequently asked questions
How long should a title tag be?
Keep it under about 600 pixels wide in Google’s desktop title font. For typical text that’s roughly 50 to 60 characters, but wide letters use up the space faster than narrow ones. Put your most important words first, so that if anything is cut, it’s the least important part.
What is the maximum length of a meta description?
Google cuts meta descriptions at about 150 characters, at the end of a word, and adds “ ...”. On phones, the three-line limit can hide words even sooner. Aim for 120 to 150 characters, and check the narrowest phones your visitors use.
Why does pixel width matter more than character count?
Google’s title limit is a width, not a letter count. Two titles with the same number of characters can be very different widths, so one fits and the other is cut. Descriptions do use a character limit first, but the line limit on phones is about width again.
Why is Google cutting off my title?
Either it’s wider than about 600 pixels, so Google shortens it before sending it, or it’s too long for the device’s line limit. SERPsizer tells you which of the two happened on each device, and exactly which words were lost.
Does mobile show more of my title than desktop?
No. Titles get two lines on phones, but Google shortens every title to the same width first, so phones show at most what desktop shows. On narrow phones, the two-line limit can hide even more.
Will Google always use my title tag and meta description?
Not always. Google sometimes rewrites titles, and often picks a different snippet from your page when it better matches the search. A clear, accurate title that fits is the one most likely to be shown as you wrote it. Google explains how it chooses in its guides to title links and snippets.
Is SERPsizer free? Do you store what I type?
SERPsizer is free, with no sign-up. Checks run in your browser, so your titles, descriptions and files are never uploaded. Your settings and last draft are saved only in your own browser.
Can I check many pages at once?
Yes. Open Bulk at the top of the page and drop in a spreadsheet of pages. There’s a sample file to try if you want to see how it works first.