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    4. Google adding strings to meta title in SERPs => Driving my client crazy!

    Google adding strings to meta title in SERPs => Driving my client crazy!

    Technical SEO Issues
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    • TheReference
      TheReference last edited by

      Fellow Mozzers,

      I'm really baffled by Google's behaviour adding strings before my meta title in the SERPs.
      This behaviour seems random, but it mainly happens on queries that trigger the homepages (multilingual .com domain).
      I'm aware of meta title guidelines concerning length, and I know that Google may insert strings if it thinks it could benefit the user.
      But clearly their "aid" is not helpful at all...

      Client is really anxious to get this resolved and we're stumped on what could be the cause for this...

      Some examples:

      Query: https://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&pws=0&q=Ogone - Online payment gateway
      Result title: en-gb - Ogone - Online payment gateway
      Normal title: Ogone - Online payment gateway

      Query: https://www.google.at/#hl=de&q=Ogone Online Payment Service Provider
      Result title: ogone.at - Ogone. Online Payment Service Provider & e-payment ...
      Normal title: Ogone. Online Payment Service Provider & e-payment Deutschland
      => For longer titles it will just prepend strings, and leave out our piece of the meta title

      Query: https://www.google.nl/#hl=nl&pws=0&q=Support Ogone
      Result: Support | Ogone
      => For very short titles, Google doesn't add anything, why does it so for the other results?

      I really don't understand why this happens. The titles are long enough (but not too long), no strange characters inserted.

      Please, please help.

      Thanks in advance!

      Nikolaas

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • WhoWuddaThunk
        WhoWuddaThunk last edited by

        That's really interesting!  How is it effecting your CTR?  Higher than average?  Lower?

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • FedeEinhorn
          FedeEinhorn last edited by

          Are you using the advantage of rel="alternate" hreflang="x"?

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • TheReference
            TheReference last edited by

            Hey Federico,

            Yes we are using rel alternate to its fullest extent. But this still doesn't explain this strange behaviour.

            Any ideas?

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • TheReference
              TheReference last edited by

              We've found the solution. We needed make each meta title unique, so we added the country dynamicall to each meta title.

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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