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    4. After reading of Google's so called "over-optimization" penalty, is there a penalty for changing title tags too frequently?

    After reading of Google's so called "over-optimization" penalty, is there a penalty for changing title tags too frequently?

    Intermediate & Advanced SEO
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    • Felix_LLC
      Felix_LLC last edited by

      In other words, does title tag change frequency hurt SEO ?

      After changing my title tags, I have noticed a steep decline in impressions, but an increase in CTR and rankings. I'd like to once again change the title tags to try and regain impressions. Is there any penalty for changing title tags too often? From SEO forums online, there seems to be a bit of confusion on this subject...

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      • MarcOZ
        MarcOZ last edited by

        I wouldn't say a penalty but be prepared for a "dance". Google don't want you knowing if you are increasing rank so they may lower your SERP positions temporarily before it bounces back higher than it was to begin with. We have found exactly this and experienced sever ranking fluctuations when making fortnightly changes. We now only make changes once every 30-60 days and wait for the dust to settle before evaluating the outcome.

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        • Kurt_Steinbrueck
          Kurt_Steinbrueck last edited by

          I wouldn't say that it wouldn't hurt your site, but it may confuse the search engines a bit and you may see a good bit of movement for a while.

          That said, I think you might want to rethink what you're planning.  You indicated that when you changed your title tags you got an increase in rankings and CTR.  That's awesome!  If the number of impressions decreased during a time when your rankings improved then the decrease would, by definition, have to be due to a decrease in the overall searches.  Normally, you rank higher and a greater percentage of people see your listing.  So, a ranking improvement leads to an increase of impressions if the traffic for the keyword remains constant.    So, if you saw a decrease in impressions, it would indicate the search traffic dropped and you cannot improve that with a Title tag change.

          Kurt Steinbrueck
          OurChurch.Com

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