SERP Meta Dependant Upon Search Query (strange Google bug?)

[LukeyJamo]

Hi,

I have on-page optimised a client's website

Now take a look at the Title Tag & Meta description of the front page. This is the correct updates I have made -

Title: Practice Management and Financial Consultants to the Health Industry
Description: Award winning Health and Life have been providing accounting, tax and practice management services for Medical, Dental, Allied Health businesses.

Now, take a look when the business name is Googled. Notice how the Title Tag switches back to the original, yet the Description Tag is Correct.

Now, take a look when the owner's name is Googled. The Title Tag is now correct, but the description is incorrect.

• Ive set the preferred URL to be the www version
• Ive spent ages in the custom CMS trying to find what could be causing this
• The developer says it's a "Google Thing"

Anyone have any ideas?

[KeriMorgret]

The short answer is that yeah, it's a Google thing. Google has been changing titles a lot more lately, and has often tweaked the meta description. Barry has a post on it over at Search Engine Roundtable. http://www.seroundtable.com/google-title-tag-13704.html.

You don't have anything set up wrong in your CMS, it's Google. It's late, so I don't have a longer answer for you, but hopefully this will help keep you from pulling out any more hair while we wait for some more people to chime in.

[ReneReinholdt]

As far as I know there have been no official statement released on this topic from google. But yes google will sometimes change both title and meta description if it "feels" it's more accurate. Why? probably some spam fighting thing. But your guess is almost as good as mine to when it does this. But if you find someone who have some well documented data on the subject do keep me updated

[DanHill]

You might want to also consider using the 'NOODP' and 'NOYDIR' meta tags if you have listings on Yahoo Directory and Dmoz.

http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=35264