Google calls the clickable headline of a search result a title link. It usually comes from the page's title element, but Google may generate a different one when it decides the title tag does not describe the page well. Google expanded this behavior in August 2021. Its documentation lists the sources it may use, and the common causes of rewrites are things site owners can fix.
Where rewritten titles come from
- The title element
- The main visual title or headline on the page
- Heading elements such as H1 and H2
- og:title meta tags
- Other large, prominent text on the page
- Anchor text of links pointing to the page
- WebSite structured data, for the site name
Common causes
Google's documentation describes the issues that tend to trigger rewrites.
- Half-empty titles, such as just the site name or "Home"
- Obsolete titles, such as last year's date on an updated page
- Inaccurate titles that do not reflect the page content
- Micro-boilerplate: the same title across many pages in a section
- Long titles stuffed with keywords or repeated brand names
- A title that conflicts with a clearly different H1
What to do about it
Check which titles Google is rewriting by comparing your title tags with what appears in results for your important pages. Then fix the cause: make the title descriptive, specific to the page, consistent with the H1 and free of unnecessary repetition. Google may still choose a different title, and there is no setting that forces it to use yours.
Example
Paginated pages with identical titles
Hypothetical template marketplace Cobblequill's category pages all had the title "Templates | Cobblequill." Google rewrote them from the H1 in inconsistent ways. Giving each category a specific title such as "Project Plan Templates (Free) | Cobblequill" matching its H1 brought the displayed titles in line.
Common mistakes
Fighting rewrites with more keywords
Adding keywords to a rewritten title often makes it longer and more likely to be rewritten again.
Questions
No. You can make rewrites less likely by writing accurate, specific, concise titles that match the page's main heading.
