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for some unknown reason, google seems to be prefixing my page title with the brand rather than leaving the brand at the end.

Example, my title is written like so.

Some Phrase 1 | Some Phrase 2 - MyBrand

Now when google displays my results, it's displayed as

MyBrand: Some Phrase 1 | Some Phrase....

Now my title is only 55 characters long, so well below the the maximum, does anybody know why this might be happening?

Some related info I found https://www.seroundtable.com/google-brand-title-appending-16432.html

Code Junkie
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  • Here is an answer I wrote a while ago that answers some of this: http://webmasters.stackexchange.com/questions/65767/title-in-google-does-not-match-title-of-document/65768#65768 (ignore the title) It explains a lot of how Google creates SERP links related to the title tag. However, the prefixing of the domain name seems to be new. It might just be more gyrations and experiments that Google likes to do with the SERP links. I will look into this further. – closetnoc Dec 29 '14 at 18:16
  • I actually just uncovered this article https://www.seroundtable.com/google-brand-title-appending-16432.html – Code Junkie Dec 29 '14 at 18:17
  • @Johnconde This does not appear to be a duplicate to the question asked. This is a very specific issue in regards to the brand being moved to the front of the title tag. – Code Junkie Dec 29 '14 at 18:20
  • Nice find! I have not yet seen domain branding at the beginning of the SERP link. I see them at the end. My link will show you more on how title tags are handled. – closetnoc Dec 29 '14 at 18:20
  • Perhaps it's caused by keyword stuffing? My title is "Used Cars For Sale By Owner | Local Cars For Sale - CarDaddy" Does that appear to be stuffed? – Code Junkie Dec 29 '14 at 18:23
  • @Johnconde It appears similar. If you read my answer on that question, you may see what I mean. It does not answer the question that the OP is asking exactly. They are two scenarios. In the OPs case, the title tag is likely short and not long or Google has decided to do something different. – closetnoc Dec 29 '14 at 18:24
  • Yes. That is possible. I like conversational title tags. Google does not like apparent stuffing on title tags, descriptions, and h1 tags and may chose something else for the SERP link. – closetnoc Dec 29 '14 at 18:26
  • Ultimately this question boils down to the same issue as the other question, why is the title tag different in Google's SERP?. There are countless different ways this could manifest. We can't have a question for all of them especially when the number of reasons are finite and almost certainly covered in an answer there. And if it isn't, it can easily be added (if someone can provide one). – John Conde Dec 29 '14 at 18:27
  • @JohnConde You are right. We have several questions and answers on this. Perhaps a merge (not sure this is a real option) on the topic can be a benefit. – closetnoc Dec 29 '14 at 18:30
  • @JohnConde Google is moving the brand from end to the beginning and there is a reason for it. If you take a look at the link I provided, you'll find it's a very specific issue and may be related to keyword stuffing. This is not a duplicate and will help others to resolve this issue with a proper answer. – Code Junkie Dec 29 '14 at 18:30
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    Here is another page, I have other explanations on this but this is the first I found, that can help with how I see tags and SEO. http://webmasters.stackexchange.com/questions/74313/improve-google-ranking-for-general-vs-specific-keywords/74334#74334 – closetnoc Dec 29 '14 at 18:31
  • Okay. This is because of the pipe character. If you follow your link further, you will go to http://www.gordoncampbell.co.uk/colons-page-titles and the immediate conclusion made is that the keyword separators are a factor. – closetnoc Dec 29 '14 at 18:41
  • @JohnConde The answer to the OPs question is the use of the pipe character as found on the link above. – closetnoc Dec 29 '14 at 18:43
  • Nah the pipe isn't the reason, I actually added the pipe in as a way to try and fix the issue. It was originally done with a comma and I experienced the same issue. This seem to happen as soon as I created this new title. – Code Junkie Dec 29 '14 at 18:47
  • If the pipe character is causing this it should be added as an answer (or added to an existing answer) in the canonical question. That way that Q&A becomes an even better resource for this type of issue. – John Conde Dec 29 '14 at 19:40
  • I don't believe the pipe is the cause, this was happening before I started using the pipe. It was happening when I was using a comma. Perhaps it's special characters, but my guess is it's caused by keyword stuffing. – Code Junkie Dec 29 '14 at 20:11
  • @JohnConde I stand corrected. You are also right about updating the referenced answer. I will look at this later. – closetnoc Dec 29 '14 at 23:53
  • I know that dashes (-) and pipes (|) were discussed. But I wonder if commas (,) count the same? Something to think about. – closetnoc Dec 29 '14 at 23:54

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