Google confirms Page Title Update in Search Results

Google is here with yet another update and we’re excited to share it with you. The leading search engine has officially announced and confirmed that it is updating the process in which it generates web page titles.

Will it impact SEO rankings? That depends because if your title tag seems confusing and not relevant to the reader, Google will change it. The change will be done based on how relevant and easy it is for the reader to comprehend.

If Google replaces your title tag, it is likely that the keyword you used gets replaced too. However, it won’t make much of a difference as you’ve added those keywords in your content on the web page.

In today’s blog, we’re going to talk about title tags, its significance, Google’s new update, and how it affects SEO.

What is a title tag and why is it used?

A title tag is an HTML component that showcases the title of a web page. This title tag that signified a page’s title is displayed as the section of a search snippet on Google’s search results. It is a clickable headline that users can click after they’ve found the search results they were searching through relevant keywords.

Therefore, these clickable headlines are crucial for user experience, social sharing and experts at an SEO agency.

This title tag follows a concise description of a page’s content. It defines in a short line what the page is all about. It tells the reader what to expect and if it doesn’t then the reader leaves the site after reading a few lines. This increases the bounce rate on a website that hasn’t done a good job at writing the title tag.

Sometimes, title tags are wrongly used as click bait to pages that do not promise relevant content to the user. That is why it is essential that title tags be written to suit the reader’s intent.

For instance, if you’re writing about an education institute that provides online training for a nation-wide competitive exam. The way you write the title tag makes all the difference and not that it has a character limit, that is, 65-70 characters. There are keywords to be considered too. So, if the SEO expert has shared keywords with the SEO content writer, the process of optimization demands that you add those keywords. However, in the process of adding relevant keywords, you might make the title confusing and robotic.

Example: Keyword: Best Online IELTS Training

If the above keyword has to be inserted in the title tag, it means you have to generate a title that looks natural with the keyword.

Title tag: Best Online IELTS Training Institute Near You

This title tag is followed by a Meta Description that is meant to further elaborate on the offer.

What does the title tag update mean for website owners and SEO experts?

Danny Sullivan from Google confirms the search engine is updating the way it creates web page titles in search results.

He says that until recently a system was in place for generating titles that change based on the query issued. However, the new system will no longer entail this method as it is producing titles that work better for documents entirely. The titles will describe what they are about and communicate the topic regardless of the query.

As an SEO agency, SEOTonic noticed the system change where Google is replacing web page titles with other on-page text. Sullivan says that Google has gone beyond HTML text to create titles. This has happened for over a decade. The system, on the other hand, is making more use of such text. To put it simply, Google is making use of the text that humans can see when they arrive at the web page. The search engine considers the main visual title shown on a page which is often placed within <H1> tags, header tags, of which are made large and noticeable via style treatments.

So, while this is being done, Google is considering other text in the page or using text within the links that point at pages.

What is Google up to with this new system?

So, why is Google doing this and what does this new system hope to achieve?

Google is using more than HTML title tag text. It wants to rule out the event when the HTML title tag doesn’t adequately describe what it’s about. This is because title tags are either too long or are stuffed with too many keywords. Also, it may contain no text or boilerplate text which refers to text that can be reused in new contexts and applications without major changes to the original.

The objective is to produce readable and accessible titles for pages. There are further instances where Google plans to make it simpler for readers. It will add site names where needed and deemed helpful for the reader. In addition, the most relevant portion will be selected when an extremely long title is encountered.

However, optimizing HTML title tags is not a process to do away with, because it still remains to be a responsibility. So, focus on creating great HTML title tags because creating unique titles are better created by humans. However, Google is smart and wants to make sure that it helps you create the best title. So, if you haven’t created the best title tag then Google will simply assist by producing a better one that benefits the readers.

This means that Google will replace your title tag if it’s not up to the mark and does not meet the reader’s requirement. This is an update you cannot opt out of, at least, not yet. One would just have to wait and watch whether Google is doing a better job at grabbing the reader’s attention during title tag replacements.

We recommend that to generate a great title tag, you need to consider first the reader’s style of comprehension. Thereafter, look at the keywords, but if this is something you need an SEO agency for, connect with us.