Glossary

Truncation

When text is cut short and replaced with an ellipsis because it exceeds a display limit.

Definition

Truncation occurs when a string of text is cut off at a certain character or pixel limit and replaced with an ellipsis (...). In SEO, truncation most commonly affects title tags (truncated beyond approximately 60 characters) and meta descriptions (truncated beyond approximately 160 characters) in search results. Truncated titles and descriptions appear incomplete in SERPs, reducing click-through rates.

Why It Matters

A title tag truncated mid-sentence in the SERP loses its meaning and call to action — dramatically reducing click-through rates. The same applies to meta descriptions. Checking for potential truncation before publishing is a basic quality step in any SEO content workflow.

Examples

Truncated title'How to Write Perfect Meta Descriptions for Better Google Rankings and...' — cuts off before the most important word

Well-sized title'How to Write Perfect Meta Descriptions | TextWizardTools' — 54 chars, fully visible

Common Mistakes

Not checking title and meta description length before publishing.

Putting the brand name at the beginning of the title.

Writing meta descriptions right up to the limit without leaving buffer.

Assuming truncation only affects appearance.

Related Tools

Title Tag Length Checker

Ensure your SEO title tag is the perfect length for Google.

Meta Description Length Checker

Check if your meta description is the ideal length for Google.

Character Counter

Count characters with and without spaces instantly.

Related Terms

Title Tag

The HTML element that sets the clickable headline for a page in search results.

Meta Description

An HTML attribute that summarizes a web page's content for search engines.

Character Count

The total number of individual characters in a piece of text.

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