In short
Google generates the title shown in results from the page's title tag plus other signals, and rewrites it when the tag is too long, stuffed with keywords, repeated across pages, missing, or when another element such as the H1 matches the query better. The replacement usually comes from the H1, prominent headings, anchor text of links to the page, or the site name. Titles are kept when they are concise, under about 60 characters, specific to the page, matched to the main heading, and written for the reader rather than the algorithm.
What Google actually does
Since 2021, Google has generated the title link for each result rather than always displaying the page's title tag. It considers the title tag, the main heading, other prominent text, the anchor text of links pointing to the page, and the site name, and it composes what it judges the most useful title for that result. Google has said the title tag is still the primary input and is used the large majority of the time, and independent studies of large sets of results have put the rewrite rate somewhere between a fifth and two-thirds of pages depending on how a rewrite is counted, with most rewrites being small: truncation, site-name changes, or a swap to the H1.
The title can also differ by query. The same page may show its title tag for one search and a variant for another, because Google is choosing what best represents the page for that searcher.
The five triggers
1. Too long. Titles over roughly 60 characters, or wider than the pixel limit of the results page, are truncated or rewritten. Google tends to keep the beginning and drop the end, so a title that leads with the brand and ends with the topic loses the topic.
2. Keyword stuffing and boilerplate. "Web Design | Web Design Agency | Best Web Design Company | Web Designers" is rewritten to something readable. So is a title that is a list of locations or services.
3. Repetition across the site. Many pages with the same or near-identical titles, such as a template that puts the site name first and a generic phrase after, get individualised from their headings.
4. Missing or empty. No title tag, or a placeholder such as "Home" or "Untitled", is replaced with whatever Google can find.
5. A better match elsewhere. If the H1 or a prominent heading describes the page more accurately, or matches the query more closely, Google may prefer it. This is the trigger that catches well-written titles: the title says one thing, the H1 says another, and Google picks the H1.
Where the replacement comes from
In rough order of likelihood: the H1; other headings near the top of the page; the anchor text other pages use to link to it; the site name, appended or substituted; and, rarely, text from the page body. A page whose H1 is "Pricing" and whose title is "Plans and pricing for teams of 5–500" may show as "Pricing - Company", which is worse, and the fix is to bring the H1 into line rather than to fight the title system.
How to see what changed
Search Console does not report rewrites directly. To check: search Google for the page's target query and for its exact title in quotes, and compare what appears with the title tag. Do this for a few of the most important pages and a few representative template pages. Third-party tools can automate the comparison across a site, and the Performance report's query data shows which queries a page appears for, which is where query-dependent variants are visible.
A quick tell for the site-wide case: if many results for site:yourdomain.com show the same pattern of rewrite, a template is triggering it.
Writing titles Google keeps
- Under about 60 characters. Count them. Lead with the specific topic, end with the brand if there is room.
- One title per page, describing that page. Templates should generate distinct titles from the page's own content.
- Match the H1. They need not be identical, but they should describe the same thing in similar words. A title tag and an H1 that disagree invite Google to choose.
- No lists of keywords, no separators as decoration, no repeated brand names.
- Write for the reader. The title that a person would click is the title Google wants to show; the systems are trained on that.
- Use the site name once, and let Google append it if it wants; it often will.
When the rewrite is better
Often. Google rewrites titles because rewritten titles get more clicks, on aggregate, than the originals. If Google consistently swaps your title for your H1, the H1 may simply be the better line, and the right response is to adopt it. If it consistently truncates, the title is too long. The rewrite is feedback, and the sites that fight it usually lose to the ones that read it.
The case where it is worse is the boilerplate substitution: "Pricing - Company" for a page whose title had real information. That is fixed by aligning the heading with the title so that Google's candidate and yours are the same.
If your most important pages are showing titles you did not write, book a call; aligning titles and headings across a site is a short job with an immediate effect on click-through.
Common questions
Why does Google change my page title in search results?
Because its title system judged that a different title would represent the page better for that search. The usual triggers are a title that is too long, stuffed with keywords, repeated across many pages, missing, or one that matches the query less well than the page's main heading. The replacement is usually the H1 or the site name.
How do I stop Google from rewriting my title?
You cannot prevent it outright, but you can make rewrites rare: keep titles under about 60 characters, make each one specific to its page, match the wording of the H1, avoid keyword lists and repeated brand names, and write for the reader. Titles that meet those conditions are kept most of the time.
Does Google use the H1 as the title?
Often, when it rewrites. The H1 is the most common replacement for a title tag that is too long, generic or a poor match. Making the title and the H1 describe the page in similar words removes the reason to swap and means whichever Google chooses says the right thing.
How long should a title tag be so Google does not truncate it?
Under about 60 characters, or roughly 600 pixels of width on the results page. Longer titles are cut or rewritten, usually keeping the beginning and losing the end, so put the specific topic first and the brand last. Search Console does not report truncation; check by searching the query and comparing.
Can I see which of my titles Google has rewritten?
Not directly in Search Console. Search for the page's main query and for its exact title in quotes and compare the result with the title tag, starting with the most important pages and a sample of template pages. Third-party SEO tools can run this comparison across a whole site.
