Google Title Tags
When it comes to SEO, Google title tags are sure to be very much on your radar if you want to improve your search engine rankings. This is because title tags tell both real-life web users and search engines what your content is about. Therefore, this HTML element should be accurate, concise, eye-catching and include some kind of relevant keyword. Title tags are what people see on a search results page and what they can click to access content. But did you know that Google changes more than 61 percent of title tags? This is a considerable number of amendments. So let’s find out why this happens and what you can do to avoid such tweaks.
Why is Google Changing Title Tags?
A recent study analysed more than 80,000 title tags from 2370 sites to determine how many of the site title tags were used in search results. From this, it was discovered that the search engine giant rewrote 61.6 percent of the title tags at least partially. But why? Well, further examination revealed that certain factors increased the risk of a title tag rewrite. So let’s take a look at a few of these factors:
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The Title Tags Were too Short or Too LongÂ
Firstly, let’s remember that Google cares about the user experience. As a search engine, it’s their job to provide the very best content for a search and to give people a good idea of what they’re going to see when they click on a specific content tag. Therefore, if content tags are too short and lack any kind of content, Google is likely to carry out a rewrite. Think of it as them making edits so as to not damage their reputation as a go-to search engine.
Similarly, if the title tag is too long, this could overcomplicate key messaging and therefore long title tags are also prone to a rewrite. In fact, of the 2370 websites analysed in the study, Google rewrote 95 percent of short and long titles. Page titles of more than 70 characters were changed 99.9 percent of the time and titles of 1 to 5 characters were changed 96.6 percent.
Top tip for marketers: The ideal title tag length is between 50 and 60 characters, so do keep this in mind when you’re optimising your web pages.
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Titles with Brackets
Some marketers use brackets to help their title tag stand out. But this is not a good idea if you want to maintain your original title tag content, as Google doesn’t like them. Indeed, the search engine changed page titles with brackets 77.6 percent of the time and completely removed the words between the brackets in 32.9 percent of the titles. Google SEO experts know these pitfalls and spend time carefully optimising all HTML to ensure their message reads as intended. Make sure you do the same.
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Title SeparatorsÂ
When writing a short, concise title tag, you might find that colons, pipes and dashes help you get straight to the point. Indeed, at one time it was considered best practice to use such marks.  Now, however, Google does not appear to like these forms of punctuation. The same study showed that it replaced or eliminated the pipe 41 percent of the time, so these days it’s really not worth using one. It also removed dashes 19.7 percent of the time.
Top tip for marketers: Pipes were often replaced with a dash by Google. So if you do prefer to use punctuation marks in your title tags, consider using dashes instead to avoid any kind of search engine algorithm interference.
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Lack of Information
If you’re using the title tag as a keyword cramming opportunity, think again. While it’s fine to include your primary keyword, the title tag should make sense and give context to your page. A bunch of keywords just strung together won’t cut the mustard.
Can I Stop Google Changing my Title Tags?
Writing good title tags from the very start will prevent Google from making changes. So be sure to get the tag length right, don’t keyword stuff, and use punctuation sparingly. After all, Google’s Search Advocate John Mueller has said it’s unlikely that a mechanism to restrict Google from changing metadata will become available any time soon (if at all).
Another thing you can do to prevent changes, however, is to match your H1 tags with the title tag. Such a simple move dropped the likelihood of rewriting to 20.6 percent, even when commonly changed factors like pipes were included. H1 tags are an important ranking factor, so take the time to write these carefully and you’ll be on the right track for your title tags too.
If you’re looking for SEO services in Kent, contact Whitefish Marketing today, an SEO Agency in Kent offering a tailored approach to your brand requirements.
