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What Is The Best Title Tag Length For SEO?

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Google’s John Mueller answered a question in a recent Google SEO Office-hours hangout about what the ideal length for a title tag is for SEO and ranking purposes. The person asking the question was concerned because most of his title tags were well over sixty-five characters long.

Sixty-Five Characters for a Title Tag

In Google’s search results it is commonly stated that 60 to 65 characters (letters, spaces, and numbers) is the general range of what Google shows in the search engine results pages (SERPs).

Titles that are longer than that might get shortened or rewritten entirely by Google.

Because the title tag is prominently featured in the SERPs it’s important to get it right to maximize clicks and traffic to the website.

Title tags are a tiny ranking factor so there’s that consideration as well, on how the title might influence search rankings.

John Mueller Explains Title Tags

title tag ranking google

So the person asking the question had a good reason to be concerned about title tag length..

This person related that he worked in a news organization with millions of articles that featured title tags that were generally over 65 characters each.

He raised this concern about title tag length with the newsroom management who were subsequently not particularly elated with his recommendation to fix the title tags by shortening them all.

He explained the position this put him in:

“They were very upset about that because …news should be like a long title and a good title.”

So he was essentially boxed in between satisfying the demands of SEO and conforming with the best practices of journalism.

He said that he searched the Internet to find a definitive answer but was not satisfied with what he found which explains why he was asking in the Office-hours hangout.

Is Title Tag Length A Ranking Factor?

The person asked if the 65 characters limitation is a ranking related factor.

He asked:

“Is that a really good factor of ranking, that the title (length) should be like something with the limitation?”

John Mueller answered:

“No. We don’t have any recommendation for the length of a title.”

Title Tag Length Is An Editorial Choice

Mueller followed up by pointing out that title length is up to the publisher to decide and not a ranking related SEO issue.

Mueller explained:

“So, I think kind of picking a number from your side and saying on mobile like this much room is available so as an editorial guideline we’ll say 65 or whatever you want to choose.

That’s perfectly fine.

From Google, from the …search quality, the ranking side we don’t have any guideline that says it should be this long.”

The person asking the question then followed up and asked if the title length didn’t matter even if the entire title was so long it didn’t show as a snippet in the search results.

He asked:

“Is that like a ranking factor?”

John Mueller shook his head and answered:

“No, no… the length doesn’t matter.

If we show something shorter or if we show something slightly different that’s just kind of how we display it in the search results, it doesn’t mean the ranking changes.”

The Best Length For A Title Tag

The ideal length appears to be the same as what a person would use for a heading, which is to use whatever is appropriate to describe what the reader expects to find.
Google’s title tag best practices documentation states:

“Title links are critical to giving users a quick insight into the content of a result and why it’s relevant to their query.”

Additional tips are:

  • Title tags should be descriptive and concise (to the point)
  • Don’t use it for dumping your keywords (keyword stuffing)
  • Avoid boilerplate, repeated words across multiple pages
  • Brand home page title (describe the purpose of the site, etc.)

Citations:

Google’s Title Tag Recommendations

Control your title links in search results

Best Title Tag Length

Watch John Mueller discuss title tags at the 2:57 Minute Mark

Searchenginejournal.com

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Google Warns About Misuse of Its Indexing API

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Google Warns About Misuse of Its Indexing API

Google has updated its Indexing API documentation with a clear warning about spam detection and the possible consequences of misuse.

Warning Against API Misuse The new message in the guide says:

“All submissions through the Indexing API are checked for spam. Any misuse, like using multiple accounts or going over the usage limits, could lead to access being taken away.”

This warning is aimed at people trying to abuse the system by exceeding the API’s limits or breaking Google’s rules.

What Is the Indexing API? The Indexing API allows websites to tell Google when job posting or livestream video pages are added or removed. It helps websites with fast-changing content get their pages crawled and indexed quickly.

But it seems some users have been trying to abuse this by using multiple accounts to get more access.

Impact of the Update Google is now closely watching how people use the Indexing API. If someone breaks the rules, they might lose access to the tool, which could make it harder for them to keep their search results updated for time-sensitive content.

How To Stay Compliant To use the Indexing API properly, follow these rules:

  • Don’t go over the usage limits, and if you need more, ask Google instead of using multiple accounts.
  • Use the API only for job postings or livestream videos, and make sure your data is correct.
  • Follow all of Google’s API guidelines and spam policies.
  • Use sitemaps along with the API, not as a replacement.

Remember, the Indexing API isn’t a shortcut to faster indexing. Follow the rules to keep your access.

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This Week in Search News: Simple and Easy-to-Read Update

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This Week in Search News: Simple and Easy-to-Read Update

Here’s what happened in the world of Google and search engines this week:

1. Google’s June 2024 Spam Update

Google finished rolling out its June 2024 spam update over a period of seven days. This update aims to reduce spammy content in search results.

2. Changes to Google Search Interface

Google has removed the continuous scroll feature for search results. Instead, it’s back to the old system of pages.

3. New Features and Tests

  • Link Cards: Google is testing link cards at the top of AI-generated overviews.
  • Health Overviews: There are more AI-generated health overviews showing up in search results.
  • Local Panels: Google is testing AI overviews in local information panels.

4. Search Rankings and Quality

  • Improving Rankings: Google said it can improve its search ranking system but will only do so on a large scale.
  • Measuring Quality: Google’s Elizabeth Tucker shared how they measure search quality.

5. Advice for Content Creators

  • Brand Names in Reviews: Google advises not to avoid mentioning brand names in review content.
  • Fixing 404 Pages: Google explained when it’s important to fix 404 error pages.

6. New Search Features in Google Chrome

Google Chrome for mobile devices has added several new search features to enhance user experience.

7. New Tests and Features in Google Search

  • Credit Card Widget: Google is testing a new widget for credit card information in search results.
  • Sliding Search Results: When making a new search query, the results might slide to the right.

8. Bing’s New Feature

Bing is now using AI to write “People Also Ask” questions in search results.

9. Local Search Ranking Factors

Menu items and popular times might be factors that influence local search rankings on Google.

10. Google Ads Updates

  • Query Matching and Brand Controls: Google Ads updated its query matching and brand controls, and advertisers are happy with these changes.
  • Lead Credits: Google will automate lead credits for Local Service Ads. Google says this is a good change, but some advertisers are worried.
  • tROAS Insights Box: Google Ads is testing a new insights box for tROAS (Target Return on Ad Spend) in Performance Max and Standard Shopping campaigns.
  • WordPress Tag Code: There is a new conversion code for Google Ads on WordPress sites.

These updates highlight how Google and other search engines are continuously evolving to improve user experience and provide better advertising tools.

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Exploring the Evolution of Language Translation: A Comparative Analysis of AI Chatbots and Google Translate

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A Comparative Analysis of AI Chatbots and Google Translate

According to an article on PCMag, while Google Translate makes translating sentences into over 100 languages easy, regular users acknowledge that there’s still room for improvement.

In theory, large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT are expected to bring about a new era in language translation. These models consume vast amounts of text-based training data and real-time feedback from users worldwide, enabling them to quickly learn to generate coherent, human-like sentences in a wide range of languages.

However, despite the anticipation that ChatGPT would revolutionize translation, previous experiences have shown that such expectations are often inaccurate, posing challenges for translation accuracy. To put these claims to the test, PCMag conducted a blind test, asking fluent speakers of eight non-English languages to evaluate the translation results from various AI services.

The test compared ChatGPT (both the free and paid versions) to Google Translate, as well as to other competing chatbots such as Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini. The evaluation involved comparing the translation quality for two test paragraphs across different languages, including Polish, French, Korean, Spanish, Arabic, Tagalog, and Amharic.

In the first test conducted in June 2023, participants consistently favored AI chatbots over Google Translate. ChatGPT, Google Bard (now Gemini), and Microsoft Bing outperformed Google Translate, with ChatGPT receiving the highest praise. ChatGPT demonstrated superior performance in converting colloquialisms, while Google Translate often provided literal translations that lacked cultural nuance.

For instance, ChatGPT accurately translated colloquial expressions like “blow off steam,” whereas Google Translate produced more literal translations that failed to resonate across cultures. Participants appreciated ChatGPT’s ability to maintain consistent levels of formality and its consideration of gender options in translations.

The success of AI chatbots like ChatGPT can be attributed to reinforcement learning with human feedback (RLHF), which allows these models to learn from human preferences and produce culturally appropriate translations, particularly for non-native speakers. However, it’s essential to note that while AI chatbots outperformed Google Translate, they still had limitations and occasional inaccuracies.

In a subsequent test, PCMag evaluated different versions of ChatGPT, including the free and paid versions, as well as language-specific AI agents from OpenAI’s GPTStore. The paid version of ChatGPT, known as ChatGPT Plus, consistently delivered the best translations across various languages. However, Google Translate also showed improvement, performing surprisingly well compared to previous tests.

Overall, while ChatGPT Plus emerged as the preferred choice for translation, Google Translate demonstrated notable improvement, challenging the notion that AI chatbots are always superior to traditional translation tools.


Source: https://www.pcmag.com/articles/google-translate-vs-chatgpt-which-is-the-best-language-translator

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