New SERP feature truncates title tag in favor of location
1Reported today on Search Engine Land
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New SERP feature truncates title tag in favor of location
It seems Google is helping out local businesses… or is it?
On Oct. 2, we spotted something new happening to title tags in Google UK search results – location names were being added to truncated title tags, despite these not being present in the original title tags.
For example, using the search term “travel agent” we saw the result:
The original title tag was – Book Flights & Holidays with Travel Center | British Travel Agent
Observations:
Locations seem to appear when performing company/agency/business-related searchesIt appears they display if you do not specify a location in your searchGoogle seems to pull a location based on on-page contentIt will sometimes use a more specific location if a broad location is specified
Though it could be argued that Google is removing important content from your title tag in favor of a location, we think it’s a positive move.
Google automatically adding locations to title tags can work well in local businesses’ favor. Where businesses are not highlighting their location or are using a broader location in their titles, it can help them compete. A location that is in close proximity to the user is likely to encourage click-through, which is beneficial in the long run.
Have you checked how your business is appearing in SERPs?
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