Google Shows a Different Title and Description for My Site: Why, and What to Do

If Google shows a different title for your site than the one you wrote, it most likely didn't find your title tag a good fit for the search, or a good description of the page, and preferred other text on the page (usually the main heading). With meta descriptions it's even more common: Google often generates the description from a sentence on the page, based on the search. To get your title back, write titles that match the page content, are unique on every page and are a reasonable length. If the title simply shows its old version, the issue isn't rewriting; the page just hasn't been recrawled yet.

Telling these apart matters, because the fixes are different.

Old title or different title?

Open URL Inspection in Search Console and check when the page was last crawled. If you changed the title after that date, Google hasn't seen the new one yet. Press 'Request indexing' once and wait a few days.

If the page was crawled recently and Google still shows a title you didn't write, Google is changing it on purpose. The sections below are for that case.

Why does Google change titles?

When Google builds what it calls the title link, the title tag isn't its only source. The page's main heading (h1), other prominent headings, the anchor text other sites use to link to you, and social sharing tags are all candidates. Google often swaps the title for another candidate when:

• The title is too long. Long titles get truncated, and Google sometimes picks a shorter, meaningful text instead.
• The title is stuffed with keywords. Repetitions like 'Ankara Web Design, Web Design Ankara, Cheap Web Design'.
• Every page has the same or nearly the same title. Ten pages titled 'Home | Company Name' can't be told apart.
• The title is empty or left over from a template. 'Untitled', 'New Page', 'Home' and the like.
• The title doesn't match the page content. The title is about one service, the page is about something else.
• The title and h1 say different things. In that case Google may trust the h1 the visitor actually sees.

Sometimes Google adds or removes your site name. The site name shown for the home page is also influenced by the name in your site's structured data.

Taking back control of the title

There's no setting that fully stops Google from changing titles. But you can reduce its reasons to:

1. Write a unique title for every page. It should state the topic and, if relevant, the location. Not 'Services' but 'Boiler Servicing and Repair, Kadıköy | Company Name'.

2. Keep the length reasonable. Titles of around 50 to 60 characters usually show without being cut. There's no exact character limit; the width on screen is what counts.

3. Align the title and h1. They don't have to be identical, but they should say the same thing. On a page whose title says 'Boiler Servicing' and whose h1 says 'Welcome', Google will probably choose another heading.

4. Use the keyword once. Repetition doesn't help rankings; it only raises the chance of the title being replaced.

5. Clean up template titles. Automatic titles from the page builder or theme fall into the same repetition, especially on category, tag and archive pages.

After the changes, request indexing for important pages through URL Inspection. The new title usually appears within a few days to a few weeks. We've collected details and examples of title writing in how to write titles and meta descriptions.

Why isn't my meta description showing?

Meta descriptions get replaced far more often than titles, and usually it isn't a problem. Google chooses the description based on the search. When someone searches 'boiler servicing price', showing the sentence about prices on your page is more useful to them than your general description.

Still, to have your description chosen more often:

• Write a separate description for every page. The same description across the whole site makes it less likely to be used.
• Let it summarise what the page actually covers, not an advertising slogan.
• Keep it around 150 to 160 characters.
• Make sure the page itself contains sentences that answer common questions clearly. Even if Google doesn't use your description, it will use those sentences.

If a date, stars or the wrong image appear in the result

These details are separate from the title. A wrong date usually comes from an old date mentioned on the page or the publication date in structured data. Stars and rich results such as FAQs depend on structured data; we cover them in what is structured data (schema). The title and image that appear when you share the page on WhatsApp or social media come not from Google but from Open Graph tags; we deal with that in link preview image not showing.

Does a changed title change rankings?

Google changing the displayed title doesn't directly affect ranking; ranking looks at the whole page. But the displayed title affects click-through rate. A title that says 'Our Services' and one that says 'Boiler Servicing, Same-Day Visits' get very different clicks. Watch click-through rate per page in Search Console's Performance report; if it drops after a title change, try again.

Checking titles and descriptions on every page of your site one by one takes time. As part of SEO consulting, we crawl all your titles and descriptions and give you a list of which ones need changing.