Why is a title flagged as too long?
Two different limits. Google cuts titles off by how wide they are on screen, not by a character count, so Sauron measures the width. Separately, Autopilot won't publish a title or description past a set length without you seeing it first.
Products list (a note under the new title; switch the sidebar to Detailed view to see it), and the length line under the title and description boxes on each product, collection and blog post page.
Open this in the app (opens your Shopify admin in a new tab)
Limit 1: what Google shows
Google shortens a search result's title to about 600 pixels wide and adds “…”. Wide letters (W, M, capitals) use that space faster than narrow ones (i, l, t), so a 55-character title can be cut while a 70-character one fits. Sauron measures the width the way Google renders it.
Under each title and description box you'll see a line like “58 characters · fits in Google's search result”, or “too long — Google will cut this off”. In the Products list, a title gets a note underneath only when Google would actually cut it, or when it's too long for Autopilot to publish (below). A long-looking title that still fits is left alone.
Limit 2: what Autopilot publishes by itself
- Product titles: 70 characters. Between 66 and 70, the keyword also has to start within the first 55 characters, because Google often shortens titles that long.
- Collection titles: 65 characters.
- Meta descriptions: 170 characters.
Copy over these lengths is never thrown away. It's saved as a draft and waits in Needs your OK, and you can shorten it or publish it as it is. As a title gets close, the length line warns “close to the length we can publish automatically”.
Making a title shorter
Usually you don't have to. When Sauron writes a title, it shortens any that Google would cut off before saving them, by dropping your store name or an extra phrase, never the words people search for.
For older titles, or ones edited by hand, Needs your OK shows a card like “3 pages need a fix”. Press Fix and Sauron shortens each one, or rewrites it where shortening isn't enough. Nothing goes live until you publish. In Simple view the page's row also says Needs a fix.
You can still edit a title yourself on the product or collection page; the length line updates as you type.