Writing meta titles and descriptions
Two of the most-impactful SEO levers. Both appear in Google search results and AI search citations.
Length targets
| Field | Min | Max | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meta title | 30 chars | 55 chars | Google shows ~50-55 chars before ellipsis. < 30 is wasted real estate. |
| Meta description | 120 chars | 155 chars | Google shows ~155 chars on desktop, ~120 on mobile. |
The On-Page editor has live character-count pills that turn amber (warning) and red (over) so you can write in-bounds.
Where to edit
- Inline: On-Page list → expand any row → edit Title/Description fields → click "Save to Shopify".
- Detail page: click "Details →" → Meta Editor card (right column) → live SERP preview as you type.
- Bulk: On-Page list → "Bulk Edit" tab → spreadsheet view → edit cells → "Save All".
AI Optimize
Click "AI Optimize" on any row to generate both fields with RankEngine AI. The AI:
- Reads the current title, description, body, product type, and tags.
- Writes 3 candidate titles in-bounds and picks the best.
- Writes a 120-155 char description that includes the focus keyword (if set) and a CTA.
Review before saving — the field is editable. If you don't like the suggestion, click again for a different generation, or edit manually.
Best practices
- Front-load the keyword. Search engines weight earlier words more.
- Brand at the end for product pages:
Organic Kids Vitamins (60ct) — Hydrogen. For homepage:Hydrogen — Premium Kids Wellness. - Avoid duplicates. Two pages with the same title compete with each other. RankEngine flags duplicates as a Critical issue.
- Active voice. "Shop pure kids vitamins" beats "Pure kids vitamins are available."
What about AI search?
ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI weight meta titles + descriptions much more heavily than blue-link search. A clear, factual title with the focus keyword is the single biggest lever for AI citation.