Google’s John Mueller answered a question in a recent Google SEO office hours hangout about the ideal length of title tags for SEO and ranking purposes. The person who asked this question was worried because most of his title tags exceeded 65 characters.
65 characters of title tag
In Google’s search results, it is usually said that 60 to 65 characters (letters, spaces, and numbers) are the general range that Google displays in the search engine results page (SERP).
Headlines longer than this may be completely shortened or rewritten by Google.
Because the title tag occupies a prominent position in the SERP, it is very important to use it correctly to maximize the number of clicks and traffic to the website.
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Title tag is a small ranking factor So there are also such considerations, that is, how the title affects search rankings.
John Mueller explains the title tag
So people who ask this question have good reasons to worry about the length of the title tag.
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This person said that he works for a news organization, has millions of articles, and title tags usually exceed 65 characters.
He raised concerns about the length of the title tag to the news editorial management, and they were not particularly pleased with his suggestion to repair the title tag by shortening all the title tags.
He explained where this put him in:
“They are very frustrated about this because…news should be like a long headline and a good headline.”
Therefore, he is basically stuck between meeting SEO requirements and conforming to the best practices of journalism.
He said that he searched the Internet to find a clear answer, but was not satisfied with his findings, which explains why he asked questions during office hours gatherings.
Is title tag length a ranking factor?
The person asked if the 65-character limit was a ranking-related factor.
he asks:
“Is this really a good ranking factor, and should the title (length) be limited?”
John Mueller replied:
“No. We don’t have any suggestions for the length of the title.”
Title tag length is an editing choice
Mueller went on to point out that the length of the title is determined by the publisher, not an SEO issue related to ranking.
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Mueller explained:
“So, I think pick a number from you and say on your phone that there is so much space available, so as an editorial guide, we will say 65 or whatever you want to choose.
That’s no problem at all.
From Google, from… search quality, ranking, we don’t have any guidelines that say it should be this long. “
The person who asked the question then followed up and asked if the length of the title was irrelevant, even if the entire title was too long to show up as a snippet in the search results.
he asks:
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“Is this a ranking factor?”
John Mueller shook his head and replied:
“No, no… the length doesn’t matter.
If the content we display is shorter, or the content displayed is slightly different, this is just how we display it in the search results, and it does not mean that the ranking has changed. “
Optimal length of title tag
The ideal length seems to be the same as the length people use for headlines, that is, use any suitable content to describe what the reader expects to find.
Google’s title tag best practices document states:
“Title links are essential for allowing users to quickly understand the content of the results and the reasons related to the query.”
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The additional tips are:
- Title tags should be descriptive and concise (emphasis)
- Don’t use it to dump your keywords (keyword stuffing)
- Avoid template files and repeat words across multiple pages
- Brand homepage title (describe the purpose of the website, etc.)
Citation:
Google’s title tag recommendation
Control the title link in search results
Optimal title tag length
Watch John Mueller discuss title tags at 2:57 Minute Mark
