How long should a product title be on your own store?
Why there is no magic character count for product titles, and how to judge the right length by how it reads on a phone, a product card and a shared link.
Sellers often ask for a number: how many characters, how many words. There is no honest single answer, because the right length depends on where the title appears and how much your product needs to say. A better question is whether the title does its job in each place a shopper will see it.
Where your title shows up
A title does not live in one spot. It appears in several, and each one is a different test:
- On a product card in the catalogue grid, where space is tight and a long title wraps over several lines.
- At the top of the product page, where there is more room.
- In a link preview when someone shares the page on WhatsApp or Instagram.
- In the browser tab or a search result, where long titles can be cut off.
Open your own store on a phone and look at each of these. You will see quickly where your titles get clipped.
The phone test
Most of your shoppers are on a small screen. Read the title on your phone at normal size, without zooming. If you lose the thread before the end, it is too long. If it only tells you "Bag", it is too short. Aim for the length where the key facts, what it is, what it is made of and one distinguishing detail, are visible without effort.
Put the important words first
Since long titles may get trimmed, front-load the part a buyer needs most. "Lavender Soy Wax Candle" should come before "in a reusable amber glass jar with wooden lid". If the second half is cut off, the title still works.
Short is not always better
Some sellers shorten everything to a single word because it looks clean. That works for a brand with a famous product. For a small, new store, a slightly descriptive title is kinder to the person who has never heard of you. Compare "Rosemary Oil" with "Rosemary Hair Oil, 100 ml". The second answers a question before it is asked.
Long is not always better either
Stuffing every detail into the title crowds out the description. Care instructions, fabric weight and delivery notes belong in the description, which you can fill in the product editor on your Varchas store. See what details every product description should include.
A practical way to find your length
- Write the title with all the facts you can think of.
- Remove anything the photo already shows, such as obvious colour.
- Remove anything that is a choice, which should be a variant instead.
- Read the result on your phone and trim until it fits comfortably on a card.
You will usually end up with a handful of words. That is plenty.
Keep the length consistent
If most titles in your store are five or six words and a few are twelve, the grid looks uneven and the long ones look like they were written by someone else. Aim for a similar rhythm across the catalogue, using a pattern such as this title formula, and review it once in a while.
Finally, remember that you can change titles any time. Start with something clear and readable, then adjust once you see how it looks on real phones.