- Prooflive.ai
- Free tools
- Google search preview
Free Google search preview
See how a page's title and meta description look in Google's results on a computer and a phone before you publish. Google cuts them by width, not by number of characters, so it measures in pixels and shows where yours would be cut.
How to check a snippet
- Type or loadWrite a title and description, or load them from a live page.
- Watch the metersGreen is safe, amber is close, red will be cut off.
- Check both previewsPhones show more lines of title but cut descriptions sooner.
- Put it in your pageThe title goes in the title tag, the description in the meta description tag.
Good to know
How long should a meta title be?
Google shows about 580 pixels of a title on a computer, roughly 50 to 60 characters depending on the letters (a W is three times as wide as an i). Put the words people search for first and the name you trade under last.
How long should a meta description be?
About 920 pixels on a computer, around 150 to 160 characters, and less on phones. Say what the page offers and why to click it: Google uses it when it matches the search, and rewrites it when it doesn't.
Writing titles and descriptions that get clicks
- Lead with what the searcher wants: the service and the place ("Wedding photographer in York").
- Make every page's title different.
- Use the description to answer: price, area, opening hours, what's included.
- Don't stuff keywords: it reads badly and Google rewrites it anyway.
Done for you on Prooflive.ai
Every page built on Prooflive.ai is checked for its title and description length before it's saved, and the SEO Wizard tells search engines whenever a page changes.
Questions
Is the SERP preview tool free?
Yes, with no sign-up. Loading live pages has a fair limit each hour.
Why measure in pixels and not characters?
Google cuts titles and descriptions by how wide they are on screen. Sixty narrow letters fit; fifty wide capitals may not.
Why does Google show a different title from mine?
Google sometimes rewrites titles that are too long, stuffed with keywords or don't match the page's main heading. A clear title under 580 px that matches the h1 is usually kept.
Does the meta description affect ranking?
Not directly, but it's your advert in the results: a better description gets more clicks.
What happens with no meta description?
Google writes its own snippet from the page text, which is often a random sentence. Writing one gives you control.
More free tools
Open Graph checker
How a link looks shared on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, WhatsApp and Slack, and what to fix.
Domain name checker
Is it free? Check a name in .co.uk, .com, .uk and more at once, with prices.
Favicon generator
Every favicon size, the .ico, the web manifest and the HTML, from an image or a letter.
Contrast checker
WCAG AA and AAA for any two colours, and the nearest colour that passes.
Need the website too?
Design it your way and your AI builds it on Prooflive.ai, exactly to the design, with hosting, email and SEO done. Free to build; from £19 a month when it goes live. Designers earn 10 to 20% of every client payment.