Google not only tweaks its algorithms and advertising formats on a regular basis, but also the display of search results. A few weeks ago, Google decided to increase the search results column from 512 to a total of 600 pixels. We have broken down for you below what the new display means for the choice of the page title.
The page title: Unbroken important On-Page factor
The page title has a very special meaning within the Google search results.
The "title tag" corresponds to the website heading and concisely summarizes what the respective subpage is about. The title must therefore be short and meaningful at the same time --in a way that arouses the user's curiosity. The page title not only has the function of arousing the curiosity of the user but also has a decisive role in the context of search engine optimization experts .
With the new, broader display of Google search results, however, there are a few new features to consider with regard to the page title.
Page title: Adaptation in the new layout
Basically important to know: Google uses the "Arial" font to display the page titles. This font is characterized by the fact that the letters have different widths --for example, an "I" takes up significantly less space than an "X". Since the column width of 600 px always remains constant, the number of characters after which Google cuts off the page title depends crucially on the letters used.
Of course, this rule of thumb does not necessarily make the choice of the page title easier --after all, you first have to find out by trial and error what number of characters is appropriate for the selected page title.
Fortunately, there are experts who deal intensively with this topic and can at least give a recommendation for action. So did Dr. Peter J. Meyers analyzed around 90,000 websites to find out how many letters the page title was cut off after on average. The detailed results of his study can be found on his https://moz.com/blog/.
In a nutshell, the following result emerges: On average, the page titles displayed in the Google search results are still 63 characters long after cutting off excess letters.
Here is the exact breakdown of the findings of the SEO expert Dr. Peter J. Meyers:
- Around 55% of the truncated page titles had more than or equal to 63 characters (+2).
- Approx. 91% of all truncated titles had 57 characters or more (+2).
- 95% of the truncated page titles were more than or equal to 55 characters (+2).
- 99% of the truncated titles had 48 characters or more (+2).
The "(+2)" means that the length of the page title can be supplemented by two letters. Background: After cutting off the title, Google abbreviates it with "...". These three points can usually be replaced by two more letters.
The expert therefore advises: With a page title that includes 59 (+2) characters, you should be on the safe side. As already mentioned, it naturally also depends on which letters are used.
Conclusion: optimize the page title
The “power” of the page title as a Google ranking factor continues unabated. When creating the page title, care should not only be taken to ensure that the “correct” number of letters is selected, but also that the title --using the relevant keywords --appears natural, offers added value for the user and does not make false promises gives what concerns the actual content of the respective pages. That would inevitably lead to a disappointment of the user and to the fact that the page would be left again immediately (= high bounce rate). And that in turn has a long-term negative effect on lead generation (“attracting qualified prospects”) and sales.