Title tags and meta descriptions for store pages: length, content and what to avoid
Your title tag and meta description are the headline and summary in search results. Write them to the right length and avoid duplicates across products.
2 min read
Area
CRO & UX
Severity
Medium
Fix effort
Small
Stores failing
13%
Of 180 stores we scanned where this check applies, 13% fail it and 37% pass. See all benchmarks.
The title tag and meta description are the headline and summary that search results show for your page. A clear title decides whether a shopper clicks, and a good description supports it. This check confirms that your key pages have both, and that they are usable.
Why it matters
Pages with no description let search engines pick any text from the page, which is rarely persuasive. Identical titles across hundreds of products make each one harder to tell apart. The fix is writing, not code, and it applies at scale through templates.
What the audit looks at
The audit reads the title and meta description of the home and product pages and checks that each exists, is not empty and is not truncated or generic.
What usually causes it
- Theme defaults that use the store name for every page title
- Descriptions left blank on products imported in bulk
- An SEO plugin template that repeats the same pattern
- Very long titles that Google cuts off
How to fix it
Write a unique title and meta description for each page. The effort is small, usually a setting or a paste and under 30 minutes.
- Title: under about 60 characters, the specific thing first, brand last.
- Description: under about 155 characters, written to earn the click rather than to repeat the title.
- Duplicated titles across products are the usual cause; template them from the product name rather than leaving a store-wide default.
How to check it yourself
- Search Google for site:yourstore.com and read the titles and snippets shown.
- View the source of a product page and read the title and meta description tags.
- Check your platform SEO fields for templates that fill them automatically.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a title be?
Aim for around 50 to 60 characters, or roughly what fits in about 600 pixels. Google decides the cut-off by width, not characters.
Does Google always use my meta description?
No. Google often writes its own snippet from page text. A good description is still the best chance of controlling it.
Related checks
Check your own store
See whether your store passes this check
Paste your store URL. The audit loads your pages in a real browser and shows the result for this check with the evidence behind it.