Each has a different job
The title tag names the page. It is the bold blue line in a search result, the text on the browser tab, and one of the clearer signals search engines use to understand what a page is about. The meta description is the short paragraph beneath it — the pitch that persuades someone to click.
Because they do different jobs, they should not say the same thing. A strong title states the topic precisely; a strong description adds the reason to choose your result over the others on the page.
Writing the title tag
Keep titles to roughly 60 characters so they are not truncated, and lead with the words that matter most. Make each title unique across the site, and write for a human first — a readable, specific title beats a string of repeated keywords.
If the page is part of a section or brand, a short suffix such as the site name is fine, but put the page's own topic at the front where it is seen.
- Aim for about 60 characters
- Lead with the primary topic
- Keep every page's title unique
Writing the meta description
Aim for around 150-160 characters and summarise what the visitor gains, ideally with a light call to action. The description is not a direct ranking factor, but a clear, relevant one earns more clicks, and click-through is worth winning.
Match the description to the page honestly. Promising something the page does not deliver costs you trust and increases the chance a visitor bounces straight back to the results.
- Aim for about 150-160 characters
- Summarise the value, add a reason to click
- Describe the page accurately
How they work together in the snippet
In the result, the title sets the expectation and the description earns the click, so keep them consistent with each other and with the page. Avoid repeating the title verbatim in the description — use the extra space to add detail the title could not fit.
Search engines sometimes rewrite the snippet, especially the description, when another passage on the page better matches the query. That is normal; write a strong description anyway, because it is what shows for most queries.