How the page will look in Google results and when the link is shared.
Lengths that avoid truncation
Google measures pixel width, but these character limits are a reliable practical guide.
Title 50–60Shorter wastes the space; longer gets cut with an ellipsis and nobody reads the end.
Description 140–160It does not affect ranking, but it decides whether you get the click among ten results.
og:image 1200×630A ratio of roughly 1.91:1. Other proportions get cropped and half the image disappears.
Exactly one H1It may differ from the title, and often should: the title is for search results, the H1 is for the reader.
What spoils the preview
No og:imageIn a messenger the link is a bare line of text. With an image it gets opened far more often.
The image is unreachableThe tag exists but the file returns a 404 or blocks outside requests. The result is the same as having none.
One description site-wideThe same description everywhere is worse than none: Google writes its own anyway and trust drops.
Multiple H1 tagsIt is unclear which is the main heading. Usually a side effect of using H1 for styling.
Writing a title that earns clicks
Key phrase firstThe eye reads the first two or three words. A phrase at the end goes unnoticed.
Specifics over filler“From $300” beats “quality and affordable”. A number gives a reason to click this result.
Different titles per pageDuplicate titles get flagged, and Google starts writing them itself — usually worse than yours.
A description that adds, not repeatsIf the description repeats the title word for word the space is wasted. It should add a reason to click.
FAQ
Why does Google show a different description?
Google builds the snippet for each query and often takes a passage from the page when it matches better. Your description is not wasted: it is used most often when it is well written and matches the page.
Does the description affect rankings?
Not directly — Google has confirmed as much. But it drives click-through, and that affects everything downstream. A well-written description is the difference between being picked from ten results and being scrolled past.
What image size do social networks want?
1200 by 630 pixels, a ratio of roughly 1.91:1. That renders correctly on Facebook, in messengers and on LinkedIn. Other proportions get cropped and half the image vanishes.
Should the title and H1 match?
Not necessarily, and often they should not. The title is written for search results, where the first words and the 60-character limit matter. The H1 is read by someone already on the page, so it can be longer and more natural.
