This is the question:
“We have a website with satisfying ranks and now our product added new features. We need to modify the page meta title & description, does that affect the current rankings?”
John Mueller answered that maybe changing the title tag could change the rankings in the search results.
Here’s his answer:
“Yes, or better, maybe. Changing things like titles or headings on pages can result in changes in Search.”
Why did Mueller say maybe?
He didn’t explain why.
But his answer confirms that changing your title elements doesn’t automatically cause a change in rankings.
My opinion (based on my experience) is that title elements are just content and changing your content can affect rankings.
Mueller’s answer about meta descriptions implied that it doesn’t have an affect on rankings but it could affect the snippet shown in the search results. That’s something that the digital marketing community is already on board with.
This is what he said about meta descriptions:
“Similarly, changing the meta description on a page can result in changes with how the snippet of a page is shown in Search. This is expected, and usually something that SEOs or site-owners focus on in an attempt to improve things in search.”
See also: Google Ranking Systems & Signals 2024
Title Tags Maybe Can Change Rankings
Mueller’s answer might come as a surprise to some because belief that the title tag is an important ranking factor has been a part of the SEO tradition since the beginning of SEO over 20 years ago when search engines were relatively primitive compared to today. Some in the SEO community, for whatever reason, continue the decades old tradition that title elements are a huge ranking factor.
Mueller confirmed that changing the title element might maybe impact search results, which is what some people have experienced, in either direction of rankings.
Related: Google On The SEO Impact Of Changing Page Titles Every Day
Listen to the question and answer at the 19:29 minute mark:
Featured Image by Shutterstock/Krakenimages.com