How do I write a title and description Google will actually show?
Google rewrites a title when it does not match what is actually on the page, when it repeats across other pages of the same domain, or when it runs too long. What survives untouched is a short, specific, unique title containing what the person searched for.
First thing worth accepting: the description is not a ranking factor. Google stopped using it as one in 2009. It works somewhere else — on the likelihood of a click.
Title
The length that usually fits is around 60 characters. There is no exact number, because pixels are measured, not letters.
A structure that works: what it is — for whom — where. "Free SEO audit for Lithuanian websites" says everything; "SeoScore — your partner in digital marketing" says nothing.
The brand goes last, not first. The opening words are the ones both the person and the algorithm read; leading with your name only makes sense when people search for it.
Every page needs its own title. Identical titles on two pages mean Google has to choose which one to show — and it will choose one.
Description
Length is around 150–160 characters. It does not lift a position, but it can double the click share, because it is the only place where you say why the click is worth it.
Write it as a promise, not a summary: what happens after the click. A number, a price or a concrete fact beats adjectives.
If it is missing, Google assembles text from the page itself. Sometimes well, more often a random sentence from the middle.
When Google rewrites
Usually for three reasons: the title is too long, it repeats across pages, or it does not match what the person searched for. A fourth, rarer one: the title is stuffed with keywords.
A rewrite is not a penalty, but it is a signal — Google thinks its own version is better than yours.
A free scan shows which titles are too long, which repeat, and which pages have none at all.
Frequently asked
Does the description affect rankings?
No. Google does not use it as a ranking signal. It affects click share, and that only indirectly through behaviour in the results.
How many keywords belong in a title?
One — the one the page exists for. A second usually means the page is trying to answer two questions at once, and then it is worse than two separate pages.
What if Google keeps rewriting my title?
Look at what it shows instead. Usually it takes the H1 or the first heading, which is a direct statement about which text on the page looks more accurate.
Do I need different titles for two languages?
Yes, and not by translation. People search with different words in different languages, so a literal translation often misses what is actually being searched for.
Check yours
A free scan shows which of the things described here your site already does, and which it does not.