The title link is the blue headline in results. Google generates it, usually from your <title> element, but not always.
Sources Google may use
- The
<title>element (most common) - Main heading on the page, usually
<h1> - Other prominent text
- Anchor text of links pointing at the page
- Site name and structured data
Why Google rewrites titles
Because the original was empty, boilerplate repeated across the site, keyword-stuffed, far too long, or simply did not describe the page. Rewriting is a correction, not a punishment.
Writing titles Google keeps
- Describe the specific page, not the site.
- Front-load the distinguishing words.
- Keep it concise, roughly 60 characters displays fully on most devices.
- Make it unique across the site.
- Put the brand at the end, if at all.
Alien Road recommends: when Google rewrites your title, read the replacement carefully before fighting it. It is telling you what it thinks the page is about. On several client sites the rewritten title was more accurate than ours, and the right response was to change the page, not the tag.