Why does Google rewrite my title?

Title rewrite, explained

Google calls the clickable headline in results the title link. Its documentation says it generates title links automatically from several sources: the <title> element, the main visual title on the page, heading elements, og:title, other large and prominent text, anchor text on links pointing to the page, and WebSite structured data for site names. The <title> is usually the main source, but not always.

Google names the situations where it tends to replace a title: half-empty titles (just a site name or "Home"), obsolete ones like last year's date, inaccurate ones that don't match the page, and micro-boilerplate, where many pages share nearly the same title. Titles that are very long are truncated to fit the device width, which can also look like a rewrite. There's no fixed character limit in the docs.

To reduce rewrites, give each page a unique, descriptive title that matches the page's main heading and content. Brand concisely, for example just the site name at the start or end. Avoid keyword stuffing and repeated templates across hundreds of pages. Make the page's <h1> agree with the title, because a mismatch gives Google two competing candidates.

Rewrites aren't always bad. Sometimes Google's version is clearer. Check Search Console clicks before and after changing a title, rather than fighting every rewrite on principle.

Why it matters for founders

Title links drive clicks. If Google rewrites yours into something generic, you lose the pitch you wrote. Consistent titles and headings keep your wording in results.

Example

Your 300 integration pages all use "Integrations | Acme". Google shows the page headings instead. You change titles to "Acme + Slack integration: setup and use cases" and Google starts using them.

Common mistakes

• Identical or near-identical titles across a page family.
• A <title> that disagrees with the page's H1.
• Dates in titles that go stale.
• Long, keyword-stuffed titles.