Keep your title tags between 50 and 60 characters to avoid truncation in Google's desktop and mobile search results. Google measures titles by pixel width (around 600px), not strict character count, so narrow letters like 'i' and 'l' let you fit more words than wide ones like 'W' or 'M'. A safe target is 8 to 12 words. Titles longer than 60 characters get cut off with an ellipsis, which reduces click-through rate because searchers can't read your full value proposition. Titles under 30 characters waste prime real estate and signal thin content. The optimal range gives you enough space to include your primary keyword near the front, a modifier or benefit, and your brand name at the end when it makes sense. Front-load your target keyword within the first 40 characters. Google weighs earlier words more heavily for relevance, and users scan left to right. For local businesses, city names matter: "Basement Waterproofing Ottawa | CompanyName" performs better than burying Ottawa at character 55. For e-commerce, include the product type and one differentiator like "Men's Wool Hiking Socks – Merino, Made in Canada". Watch out for dynamic titles that append category names or dates. A blog post titled "How to Choose Running Shoes" becomes "How to Choose Running Shoes | Fitness Tips | Blog | SiteName" at 68 characters, triggering a cutoff. Strip unnecessary template text. At Ottawa SEO, we audit title tags in batches using Screaming Frog, flagging anything over 60 or under 30 characters. We also check Search Console's performance report to see which titles Google rewrites. If Google replaces your title frequently, it's usually too keyword-stuffed, too vague, or mismatched to the page content. Rewrite to be more specific and descriptive, then monitor whether Google respects the new version. Titles are the highest-leverage on-page element, worth testing and refining every quarter.