Title tags and meta descriptions: why Google rewrites them, and how to stop it
Google builds title links and snippets automatically and often ignores what you wrote. What its documentation says triggers a rewrite, with fixes and examples.
You wrote a careful title and description, and Google shows something else. That's normal: Google says its title links are generated automatically from several sources, and snippets come mainly from the page content. The meta description is used only when Google thinks it describes the page better.
Where Google gets your title link
Google lists its sources: the <title> element, the main visible title, headings, og:title, other large and prominent text, anchor text, links pointing to the page, and WebSite structured data. If your <title> disagrees with the rest, Google may pick another one.
What triggers a rewrite
From Google's list of common issues:
- Half-empty titles, e.g. just "| Site Name"
- Out-of-date titles: "2025 prices" on a page whose heading says 2026
- Inaccurate titles that don't reflect what the page is about
- Boilerplate: the same title on many pages
- No clear main heading: several headings with the same visual weight
- Keyword stuffing: "Plumber Leeds, plumbers Leeds, Leeds plumbing"
Writing ones that stick
Titles: one per page, what the page is plus who or where it's for, brand at the end. Google doesn't set a character limit but truncates to fit the device width, so put the important words first.
Bad: Home | Hale & Sons
Good: Emergency Plumber in Leeds, 24/7 Callouts | Hale & SonsDescriptions: unique per page, specific, and written like a pitch. Google's own examples favour descriptions that include concrete details (what's sold, hours, location) over keyword lists.
Bad: Plumbing, plumber, boilers, Leeds, cheap, best
Good: Gas Safe plumbers covering LS1–LS29. Callouts from £79, boiler
servicing and bathroom fitting. Rated 4.9 on Google.AI assistants that read your page see the same title and description, so a clear one helps there too.
The Meta Tag Generator shows a live preview of how your title and description are likely to be cut off, warns about common problems, and gives you the tags to paste in.
Sources
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