John Mueller from Google answered whether it’s a good idea to match the title element with how Google rewrites them on search engine results pages (SERPs).
Someone at Mastodon noticed that Google was changing the title elements on their web pages, most often removing the site name from the title.
This seems to indicate to them that maybe Google sees the site name as redundant and maybe they should leave the site name out of the title tag altogether.
Should you match how Google rewrites the title tag?
“Google is changing the titles and most of the time removing the site name from the title.
For example, if the title of the page is “What is SEO and how does it work? | Site Name”
He will then rewrite it as “What is SEO and how does it work?”
It looks like we don’t need to include the site name in the title tag. (Because Google has already entered site names)”
John Mueller of Google answered:
“I wouldn’t assume a rewritten version would be better (for SEO or for users) and would recommend keeping your site name there, because it’s easier to confirm the site name we show above the title.
Also, it’s a known pattern, so I wouldn’t change it just for Google.”
Mueller, in an afterthought, added:
“Now that you mention it, I imagine this (making the title element what Google shows) is something a lot of people do…”
Is it good to match the title element with what Google is showing?
Any question about what is good for SEO in relation to HTML elements should be considered in light of how the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has defined this element.
The W3C defines HTML standards, and Google follows these standards to a large extent.
What the W3C says about the title element is that the purpose is to define what the web page (called the document) is about.
So is the title element officially defined:
“The title of a document is specified by the TITLE element.
…It should identify the content of the document in a fairly broad context.
The title is not part of the text of the document, but is a property of the entire document.”
So the key points about the title element are as follows:
The title communicates what the paper is about in a “fairly broad context”. The title element is a property of the entire document
This means that it is not something of its own, like an individual header, but is “communicated” for the entire document.
Official Google Title Element Recommendations (in Google Search Central) for title tags echoes what the W3C recommends in a little more detail.
Google advises that title elements be descriptive and concise. Title elements should not be vague.
Finally, Google recommends making the title concise. This means that using the site name is fine, but repeating a marketing slogan throughout the site is not necessarily concise.
Why Google rewrites titles
When Google started rewriting more titles a few years ago, many SEOs complained about it.
What was common in many of the examples that many people shared was that the title elements did not describe what the page was about.
Title elements often contained the targeted keywords, but not a concise description of what the page is about.
This is not surprising, since many SEO sites recommend adding keywords to the title tag instead of describing what the page is about.
Obviously, if the keyword is relevant to what the document is about, put the keyword in there if you want.
Another reason Google rewrites titles is because the entire page description isn’t appropriate.
For example, Google often ranks a web page for what is essentially a subtopic of the web page’s main topic.
This happens when Google ranks a web page for a phrase that is in the middle of the document.
Rewriting the title element to match the context the page is ranking for makes sense.
Google Search Central says the same thing:
“The purpose of the title link is to better represent and describe each result.”
If Google is ranking the page for a subtopic of the main topic, it makes sense for Google to change the title element to something that is relevant to the search query.
Takeaway: Should You Match Google Title Rewrite?
Probably not a good idea because Google might be ranking the page for a subtopic.
If you want a reality check on the title element, try ChatGPT by entering the text of the document and asking it to summarize it in ten words.
It stands to reason that most people know what their own web pages are about, so make the best of it.
Featured image by Shutterstock/Asier Romero
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