If you’ve spent hours crafting the perfect title tag, only to see something else appear on Google — you’re not alone. A new data study shows that Google rewrote 76% of title tags in Q1 2025. That’s not just a trend. It’s a shift in how Google controls what users see.

This research uncovers how and why Google makes these changes — by industry, by search intent, and by content sensitivity (like health or finance).

Let’s dive in.

📊 What the Study Looked At

The analysis covered 30,000 keywords across:

  • YMYL and non-YMYL content
  • High vs. low search volume
  • Commercial vs. informational intent

Only the top 20 search results were included. Tools like Advanced Web Ranking and Screaming Frog were used to collect both what Google shows and what site owners originally published.

🔁 Key Finding: 76% of Title Tags Are Rewritten

Google modified titles in over three-quarters of all tested results.

That’s a 25% jump from the last major study (by Cyrus Shepard in 2023). And here’s what’s even more surprising: only 35% of the words from the original titles are kept in the changed version.

🔑 Focus Keywords Often Get Dropped

Among changed titles:

  • 77% didn’t contain the page’s perceived focus keyword
  • Even on Page 1, many titles lacked the actual keyword
  • Google seems to prefer clear, user-first titles over keyword-heavy ones

AI was used to detect the focus keyword, then each case was manually verified.

💰 Commercial vs. 📚 Informational Content

For commercial pages:

  • 31% of original titles had keywords
  • Google retained keywords in 31% of rewrites
  • Only 1.44% had keywords added, and 2.23% had them removed

💡 So, for e-commerce and service pages: keywords still matter — but only when they’re useful.

For informational pages:

  • Only 6% had keywords originally
  • 93% of rewritten titles had no keywords at all
  • Google cares more about clarity than SEO tricks

⚠️ YMYL vs. Non-YMYL Titles

For YMYL content (health, finance, legal):

  • 76% of titles changed (same rate as average)
  • 78% of changed titles didn’t have keywords
  • Google is strict — titles must be accurate, safe, and useful

For non-YMYL content (like hobbies or news):

  • 76% of titles also changed
  • But keywords were preserved 26% of the time

💡 Google allows more flexibility when the stakes are lower.

🔍 Why Google Edits Your Titles

Here’s what the data tells us:

🧼 1. Brand Name Removal

  • Happens in 63% of all rewrites
  • Especially common in YMYL content
  • Google drops brand names when they don’t add value to the query

✍️ 2. Clarity Improvements

  • 30% of rewrites aim to make the title clearer
  • Vague phrases become direct questions
  • Value is spelled out, and language is simplified

📏 3. Length Adjustments

  • 8% of changes fix titles that are too long or too short
  • Long SEO-stuffed titles get trimmed
  • One-word titles get expanded with more context

🎯 4. Intent Matching

  • Google tweaks titles to align with the user’s search goal
  • Especially for commercial queries, modifiers are added or removed
  • Anything that distracts from user intent gets cut

🩺 5. YMYL Content = Extra Caution

  • Google edits heavily here
  • Simplifies complex titles
  • Removes promotional or branded fluff
  • Aims for safety, clarity, and authority

🧪 6. Vague Titles? Google Fills the Gaps

  • Titles like “Our Products” or “Info” get upgraded
  • Google adds specifics to improve CTR and relevance

✅ What SEOs Should Do Now

Stop fighting Google’s title rewrites. Instead:

  • Write clear, 30–60 character titles Google will likely keep
  • Use keywords for commercial pages, not necessarily for informational ones
  • Skip unnecessary brand mentions
  • Be ultra-accurate on YMYL pages
  • Test formats Google prefers, like “How to…” and listicles

📎 Did You Know?

Google removes brand names in 63% of all changed title tags — especially for health, finance, and legal topics.

🧭 Final Thought

The goal of SEO has shifted. It’s no longer just about what we write — it’s about what Google shows. And the best strategy now? Guide the algorithm, don’t fight it. Write titles that serve the user first, and trust that Google will follow your lead — most of the time.