Short titles expand from Demand Gen into Performance Max

What changed

Google's Merchant Center specification describes short titles as usable in Demand Gen and visual Performance Max placements, including YouTube and Discover. It separately says the field does not change titles in Search or Product Listing Ads. This makes short-title coverage relevant to more visual placements while preserving the distinction from the main product title used elsewhere.

The reviewed help page recommends putting essential information first and aiming below 40 characters. Its length guidance is internally inconsistent: the format table permits 1–150 characters and recommends 5–65, while the best-practice section describes 65 as a maximum. The defensible editorial takeaway is to write concise, accurate titles and check the accepted specification in the intended workflow, rather than presenting one of those conflicting numbers as an unqualified system limit.

A useful retail review starts with meaning, not just character count. For a range of replacement filters, the product type and compatibility may be more important than a long promotional prefix. For apparel, the short title should still identify the garment even when variant detail is carried elsewhere. These are illustrative decisions. Removing words mechanically can create ambiguity, so review a sample against the landing pages and imagery before applying a rule across the feed.

Why it matters for advertisers

This field gives merchants a way to prepare product names for browsing contexts where space and attention are limited. Treat it as concise product communication with its own quality check. The source does not prove that a particular short-title formula improves conversion rates, and the extension into Performance Max does not justify overwriting useful full titles throughout the catalogue.