So we have a new Google update that is related to the web page title and description. Launched around 17th-18th August, this update will change the way Google creates page titles for SERPs as confirmed by Danny Sullivan.
The titles of web pages appearing in the search results are the summary of the information they contain. This way, they let the users determine if the search results are relevant to their query.
The new update aims to provide a better view of the content that a user is about to visit. According to this update, the titles from now onwards can be extracted from internal links, image alt text or even created completely by Google itself.
It is also worth mentioning that Google has been altering title tags since 2012.
Why Google Launched New Page Title Update?
With this new update, Google will produce page titles that best match all content in general irrespective of what you search. It also means that the search engine giant will no longer create web page titles solely based on the query. Also, this update is useful as sometimes the page titles fail to describe the context of the page. They are too lengthy or stuffed with keywords.
How the New Page Title Update is Likely to Work?
This update is likely to use the other text contained in the page such as the H1 tag or the header tag or main visual title on the page rather than relying on the title text appearing in the SERPS.
For example, the below-given snapshot includes the original title and description and the one that is recreated by Google.
Image source: Investisdigital.com
Here is one more…
Image source: brodieclark.com
Even Google can go to such extent….
What Should You Do Now?
This new update shouldn’t be intimidating.
While Google can pick any text to create the title, HTML title texts will still be of great importance. As said by Danny Sullivan—“our main advice on that page to site owners remains the same. Focus on creating great HTML title tags.”
So, the message is clear as it was before—Create unique and optimized HTML titles and descriptions.
Therefore, you need to stick to the best practices of creating HTML titles and descriptions while leaving the rest to Google.
Here are some best good old rules of optimizing your page titles and description to improve your user experience.
- Every page should have a title mentioned in the <title> element. Create descriptive and clear text.
- Avoid keyword stuffing or repeated text.
- The title should clearly reflect the content of your web pages
- Create a unique description for each page of your website
- The description should contain the relevant information of the page it represents.