What Google says
Google documents how it creates title links and snippets. Key points from that guidance: titles should be descriptive and concise, each page should have a unique title, avoid keyword stuffing and boilerplate repeated across pages; descriptions should summarise the page accurately and be unique per page. Google may rewrite either if it thinks a different text serves searchers better.
Titles: a simple pattern
[What the page is about] — [distinguishing detail] | [Business name]
| Page | Weak | Better |
|---|---|---|
| Homepage | Home | Acme Plumbing — Repairs & Water Heaters in North Dallas |
| Service | Services | Water Heater Repair and Replacement | Acme Plumbing |
| About | About Us | About Acme Plumbing — Family-Run Since [verified year] |
| Contact | Contact | Contact Acme Plumbing — Call or Request a Quote |
| Guide | Blog post 4 | How to Tell If Your Water Heater Needs Replacing | Acme Plumbing |
*Examples use a fictional business. Only include facts like a founding year if they're true and verifiable.*
Practical rules:
- Put the most important words first; long titles may be cut off.
- One topic per page, reflected in its title.
- Don't repeat the same title on several pages.
- Don't list keywords or towns separated by commas.
Meta descriptions: summarise and invite
A good description tells the searcher what they'll get and why it's relevant. One or two sentences.
- Service page: "Same-week water heater repair and replacement in North Dallas. See what's included, how quotes work and how to book."
- Guide: "Five signs your water heater is near the end of its life, what a replacement involves and when a repair still makes sense."
Avoid: vague slogans, a list of keywords, claims you can't support ("cheapest in Texas"), and identical descriptions across pages.
Match the page
The title and description should describe what's actually on the page. If the title promises prices, the page should show prices. Mismatches disappoint visitors and can lead Google to rewrite your title.
Headings and titles work together
- The page's H1 should usually be close to the title, in plain words.
- One H1 per page; H2s for sections.
- Descriptive headings help both readers and search engines understand the page.
See how to structure a service page for the content side.
How to review yours
- List every page with its current title and description (a site crawler or your CMS can export this).
- Mark duplicates, missing ones and ones that don't match the page.
- Rewrite the most important pages first: homepage, main services, contact.
- After a few weeks, check Search Console's performance report to see which queries show each page — see Search Console setup.
Further reading
Google's SEO starter guide covers titles and descriptions alongside other basics.
Questions
Does Google always use my title and description?
No. Google may generate a different title link or snippet if it thinks another one better describes the page for a query. Clear, accurate titles and descriptions make that less likely.
Should I put my town in every title?
Where it's accurate and useful — for example on your homepage and main service pages. Don't cram many towns into one title.
Sources and further reading
- title links developers.google.com
- snippets developers.google.com
- SEO starter guide developers.google.com
Official documentation changes. Check the current version before you rely on a rule, limit or setting.
Next step
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