Fix guide · WordPress

How to Shorten an Overlong Title Tag in WordPress (2026)

Google typically shows up to 600px of title text — roughly 50–60 characters — before cutting off with an ellipsis. If your title tag is too long, searchers see a truncated headline and your keyword may be cut. This guide shows you how to shorten the SEO title without renaming the page itself.

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Why it matters

What this issue costs you

A truncated title signals to searchers that the result may not be what they expected, reducing click-through rate. More importantly, keywords near the end of an overlong title carry less weight — keeping your main keyword in the first 55 characters is good practice.

Step-by-step

How to fix: Title tag too long

WordPress

1
Find the exact title length
Run your page through our free SEO checker to see the exact character count. Or go to Yoast SEO → Edit Snippet — the pixel indicator shows how much of the title fits. Green = good, orange/red = truncated.
2
Edit the SEO title (not the post title)
Critically: you do not have to rename your page or post. In Yoast SEO or Rank Math, the "SEO title" field overrides the visible heading in search results only. Shorten the SEO title to under 60 characters and keep the post title as your reader-facing H1.
3
Remove boilerplate appended by your template
Many WordPress title templates add "| Site Name" or "– Brand" at the end. If your post title alone is already 55+ characters, the appended brand pushes you over the limit. In Yoast: SEO → Search Appearance → Content Types → remove or shorten the suffix from the title template.
4
Prioritise the target keyword at the front
Rewrite the SEO title so the primary keyword appears first, followed by the value proposition, then brand. Example: "WordPress SEO Guide: 2026 Checklist | Site Name" is better than "The Complete Guide to Fixing SEO Issues on Your WordPress Website | Site Name".

Verify the fix

Run the checker to confirm the issue is resolved

After applying the steps above, paste your URL below. Our checker will re-run every applicable check and show whether title tag too long still shows as a failing check.

FAQ

Common questions about title tag too long

Will shortening the SEO title change my page's H1?

No. In any SEO plugin (Yoast, Rank Math, AIOSEO), the "SEO title" field is separate from the post/page title that shows as your H1. You can have a concise SEO title for search results and a longer, more descriptive H1 on the page.

Google sometimes ignores my title tag. Why?

Google rewrites titles when it believes its version better matches a query — this happens more often when titles are very long, keyword-stuffed, or don't match the page's H1. Keeping the SEO title concise and aligned with your H1 reduces rewrites.

Is 60 characters a hard limit?

It's a guideline based on pixel width (~600px). Short characters like "i" or "l" take less space; wide characters like "W" or "M" take more. Aim for 50–58 characters to stay safe, or check the Yoast pixel bar.

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