Google Dynamic Meta Tags | Website Design & Hosting

Google is dynamically rewriting websites Meta Tags in order to best match the search terms used by Google Search users. Whilst this was spotted in some areas before, the practice has been become more widespread.

To understand the significance of this, we need to understand Meta Tags and their roles.

What are Meta Tags?

They are signals to search engines that indicate the content of a web page, so that search engines can make a judgement about the relevance of the page against the search term used by the search engine user.

There are 3 main Meta Tags

Title – This is summary of the content which in Google Search Results is shown in Blue and as the first line of the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) listing of a page, with up to 60 characters made visible.
Description – This is an expanded explanation of content of the page, usually in black (white/grey if you are using dark mode in your browser). 160 characters are displayed with search term highlighted in bold.
Keywords – This is the focus of the page content, but this has become less useful due to the abuse by website owners (keyword stuffing), and Google pays less attention to this. In essence if a page is well written and in logical order, then keywords should be obvious to the Search Engine.

You can learn more about these on our SEO blog

What does this mean for my website?

The real impact is that the way your write content, address the subject, and how you sign post each part of your content has become even more important.

It was always the case that the content writers that understood how to write and layout their content best, would preform better in SERP. This is now critical as Google uses these signals to rewrite the Meta Tags to get a close match to the search terms used by the Google search user.

This means your content needs to have:

Clear statement – Make a clear statement at the start of the page about the content. No more easing people by showing off your Shakespearean linguistic prowess. Essentially “get to the point” and tell people what you are going to tell them.
Hierarchy of content – Think about how you layout your argument or the story, and break it down into logical and hierarchy of sections using H series headings and subheadings.
Simple language – Keep your language simple and avoid using words or phrases that can be misconstrued or confusing. Do not use words or phrases that can have double meanings.
Avoid Meandering – Do not go off topic and stop showing off! Stick to the main theme and subject.
Use Links – If you have to explain the broader picture, breakdown the subject to bite size chunks, and link them together. Alternatively put links to other pages that explain the finer points or background information.
Summary – Have a clear summary at the end with a call to action specially for commercial websites.

Does this mean Meta Tags are dead?

On the contrary, it is even more vital to get your Meta Tags right, as this is used by Google as the baseline.

Stick to the existing rules:

Use the target Keyword/Keyphrases in the Title and Description
Keep the lengths as advised (Title = 60 characters Max, Description = 160 characters Max)
Do not use Stop Words or fullstops in the description
Make them as relevant as possible to the content. Your Meta Tags cannot be detached from the content. You won’t fool Google or any other search engine.

This combined with good practices in writing should enable Google to dynamically generate Meta Tags for search terms that are close or relevant to your page, and rewrite them to make the Meta Tags closer to the search term used.

Should I rewrite my Meta Tags and content?

It is a good practice to review your Meta Tags and content as a matter of course. This a good time to review them and make sure you can benefit from the changes in Google.

However, if you have followed the rules in the past and your content is clearly laid out, then you should be enjoying the benefits already.

Summary

Google is trying to help those who use Google search to get the best results for them. That is nothing new as this was always the point of search engines.

The new practice should help those websites that have followed the established rules, and expand their appeal in order to find new visitors that fixed Meta Tags would not have reached. So broadly speaking this is good news, but your website needs to have had a good foundation to begin with.