Is a long SEO title less of a problem now?
Having used Yoast for many years I am tied into thinking that an SEO title needs to be relatively short, to fit into Yoast's traffic colour system. Having found many of my post titles never actually fit, I end up potentially damaging my user experience by trying to keep them short.
But is it really necessary any more?
I swipe right on my Google Pixel phone to see my Google News feed and I am seeing many stories of blog posts with article titles way longer than what Yoast suggests I use...
Lets take this one for example: _``` www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2024/07/26/sundar-pichai-wants-real-world-results-for-his-ai-bots---so-google-gave-bonuses-and-golden-bomber-jackets-to-staff-who-came-up-with-winning-prompts
Their title tag is:
"Sundar Pichai wants real world results for his AI bots – so Google gave bonuses and golden bomber jackets to staff who came up with winning prompts"
Here's another example from my Google News feed:
"_Nintendo Switch releases new free game you can download and keep forever_"
...And yes, as booked - I paste this into my Yoast title field and its red - it's over the recommended length.
Am I right in assuming I shouldn't give a s*** about Yoast's title length checker anymore? As per EEAT, I should now prioritising user experience and not search engines?Long page titles have never been a problem in SEO. It is just the best practice as whole longer titles are not visible in the page title showing blue strip of the browser or in the SERP result's title.
Considering user experience has always helped in SEO.
Yoast can be pretty strict with its traffic light system, especially when it comes to SEO title length. I've been there, trying to squeeze titles into their "green" criteria and worrying it might mess with user experience.But honestly, I'm starting to think it's not as crucial as Yoast makes it seem. Just like you, I've noticed longer titles all over the place, especially on platforms like Google News. It seems like the focus is shifting more towards clarity and relevance rather than just fitting into a character limit.Take that example you mentioned from The Star—super long title, but it's packed with info and probably doing just fine in terms of clicks and engagement. If a longer title helps convey the message better and attract readers, it might be worth bending the "rules" a bit. At the end of the day, it's all about balancing SEO guidelines with what works best for your audience. Maybe test out a few longer titles and see how they perform. Yoast's recommendations are helpful, but they aren't the be-all and end-all.
You bring up a great point about evolving SEO practices. With Google’s focus shifting towards user experience and content relevance, longer titles that provide clear, valuable information can still perform well. For more details on how Google evaluates content and SEO, you can refer to the Google Search Central guide. If you’re interested in a bit of light reading, allfunnypuns.com has some fun content that might brighten your day!