Executive summary
- Google's Gary Illyes confirms that H1 and title tags do not have to match and emphasizes the user experience.
- Title tags should provide a broad description, while H1 tags should provide specific section details.
- Google uses various page elements, including titles and headings, to create accurate title links in search results.
Google's Gary Illyes has clarified that H1 tags and title tags do not have to match. Instead, the focus should be on improving the user experience. Title tags should provide a concise, broad description of the page's content and be unique to each page to avoid redundancy. H1 tags, on the other hand, should provide detailed and specific information relevant to the section they head.
Illyes explained that Google creates title links in search results by considering a variety of elements from the page, including titles, headings and other prominent text. This method ensures that the title links accurately reflect the page's content, giving users the most relevant information.
By following these guidelines, webmasters and SEO professionals can optimize their pages more effectively for both search engines and users.