Google Lists Several Reasons For Rewriting Title Tags

Site owners and publishers must always strive for perfection when it comes to SEO content creation for their websites. From creating the SEO content itself to optimising its titles and meta descriptions, everything should be relevant to each other and interesting enough to catch the readers’ attention.

Google aims to provide its users with the best information and relevant articles on the Internet. For this reason, they released the Page Title update last month, which replaces 20 per cent of the articles’ titles in the search results.

Many SEOs thought the search company was replacing titles to make them relevant to user queries. These claims were proven true now that Google revealed more information about this update, explaining the reasons for replacing certain titles and not others.

Since the initial launching of the Page Title update, Google has further improved its system for rewriting page titles. They have also provided the SEO community with additional guidance and advice when writing title tags.

Original Titles Used More Often

With Google’s improved Page Title update, the search engine will now use web pages’ original titles more often. According to Google, the original title elements are now used 87 per cent of the time compared to 80 per cent when they first launched the update.

Google’s Reason For Replacing Original Titles

Google confirmed that they replace a web page’s title if it does not describe the content properly. Title page issues have existed since 2012, and Google’s Page Title update is taking things a step further. The search engine company gave SEOs several examples of when their system will replace page titles. Here are some of them:

• 1. Half-empty titles
• Google designed their new system to distinguish half-empty titles. For instance, a title could display just the website’s name and fail to mention what the content is all about, such as “| Site Name”. The system will then look for main information elsewhere on the page, such as the header elements or other prominent text. Then, Google will use it to adjust the page title to become relevant to the SEO content. For instance, the search engine may change it to “Product Name | Site Name”.
• 2. Obsolete titles
• Page titles can become obsolete when site owners and publishers use the same page every year for recurring information. Still, its title elements remain the same – for instance, “2020 admissions criteria - University Name”. In this scenario, the page title tells readers that the content is about university admission.
• When readers click the link, they see the visible headline as “2021 admissions criteria” instead of “2020”, which the search results promised them. This means the site owner failed to update the title element to the current date. Google detects such inconsistencies and will replace the date on the title if necessary.
• 3. Inaccurate titles
• Sometimes, website owners and content writers fail to create titles that accurately reflect what the page is all about. For instance, they could have dynamic content with a title for static pages, like “Giant stuffed animals, polar bears, teddy bears - Site Name”.
• This title is perfect for a static page that sticks to the same products mentioned in the title. However, some SEOs use static titles for a page where topics dynamically change. When users see this title in the search results, they must see products like teddy bears or polar bears on the page.
• Google’s new system distinguishes titles that accurately shows the content’s topic. In a situation like this, Google might modify the title to ensure that it lives to the users’ expectations, like this: “Stuffed animals - Site Name”.
• 4. Micro-boilerplate titles
• Google’s new system can detect micro-boilerplate titles, which are boilerplate title elements in a subset of pages within a website. According to the search engine company, they see the same title on almost all pages within a website. Just like how they detect and adjust boilerplate title elements, Google also changes micro-boilerplate titles.
• Take, for example, an online discussion forum that talks about TV shows. It may contain areas for various shows, and each show may have threads for individual seasons. In this scenario, the micro-boilerplate title elements will show up on the season pages. The titles would exclude the season numbers, so it would be unclear which page is for what season.
• Micro-boilerplate titles could produce duplicate titles like this:
• - My so-called amazing TV show
• - My so-called amazing TV show
• - My so-called amazing TV show
• Google’s Page Title update can distinguish which season number a particular thread is talking about by looking at large and prominent headline texts. Once they find the information they need, Google will insert it in those titles, like this:
• - Season 1 - My so-called amazing TV show
• - Season 2 - My so-called amazing TV show
• - Season 3 - My so-called amazing TV show

Guidance From Google

Google’s advice for website owners and online businesses remained the same when they first launched the update. The Page Title update will use the original titles most of the time, so Google encourages every SEO to write relevant and interesting titles instead of rewriting the titles that Google is replacing.

Lastly, Google states that site owners and online businesses should consider the given examples above to see if they are making the same patterns. If so, then it’s time to change their content writing strategy.

They also added that the Page Title update was designed to help compensate for title issues that writers might overlook. Making the necessary adjustments can ensure that some of the original title elements are included again.

Google also announced that they would continue refining their Page Title system even after the latest update.

Create Unique And Relevant Page Titles With Position1SEO

Here at Position1SEO, we can help you with all aspects of SEO content creation, from creating interesting and informative on-page content, articles, and blogs to writing and optimising your title pages and meta descriptions.

Our team are committed to using proven white hat SEO methods combined with a no-stone-unturned approach to drive your rankings forward.

Working with us guarantees a spot on Page 1 of Google’s search results for your site, no matter what key phrases you choose to target.

For more information about our SEO packages, you can call us on 0141 404 7515 or email at office@position1seo.co.uk.