Title tags, H1s and content grade: what Backlinko found

Putting the target keyword in the title tag and the H1 is among the oldest on-page SEO advice. Backlinko’s large correlation study, written by Brian Dean and last updated on 14 April 2025, is one of the few public datasets that tests it at scale. This piece reports what the study found on titles, H1s and content depth. SEO Madman did not run it.

Do keyword-matched title tags and H1s rank higher?#

Not in Backlinko’s data. Most first page results already carry the searched keyword in the title tag (65 to 85 percent of the keyword) and in the H1 (60 to 80 percent). The study reports that neither a keyword-optimized title nor a keyword-matched H1 correlated with a higher first page position. For titles, Backlinko’s linear model predicts only a 1% difference between the number one and number ten result.

Backlinko’s own interpretation is that a keyword-rich title may be a “ticket to entry” that helps a page reach the first page, but does not help it climb once there. Because nearly every page on page one does this, matching is closer to a baseline than a differentiator.

Does a higher content grade track higher rankings?#

In a Clearscope-analyzed subset of the dataset, it did. Backlinko reports that increasing Content Grade by 1 approximates to increasing rankings by one position, across the top 30 results. The authors say the data cannot show whether Google prefers comprehensive content or users are more satisfied by it.

Length is not the same thing as coverage. The same study found word count evenly distributed across the top 10, with the average first page result at 1,447 words. A comprehensive page in Clearscope’s sense covers the topic’s expected subtopics, which a long page can still miss. This site’s content length correlation write-up compares other datasets on that question.

How was the study produced?#

Backlinko analyzed 11.8 million Google search results using raw data from Ahrefs. The on-page keyword figures come from that full set. The Content Grade figure comes from a subset run through Clearscope, whose size the article does not disclose. Backlinko links to a study methods document and says it uploaded the raw data to GitHub. See the content strategy hub for related coverage.

What does Google say about titles and headings?#

Google’s title link documentation supports the same reading from the other side. It asks for descriptive and concise title elements, distinct for each page, and says to avoid keyword stuffing: a few descriptive terms can help, but there is no reason to repeat the same words. It also lists where Google gets the title it shows in results. The title element comes first, but the main visual title, heading elements such as the H1, og:title and anchor text pointing to the page are all candidates.

That makes consistency the practical goal. A title that describes the page and agrees with its H1 gives Google less reason to replace it. This site’s comparison of title rewrite definitions covers how often and why Google shows a different title.

What should a reader take from it?#

Treat a matching title and H1 as expected, not as a ranking lever proven by this study. Treat the content grade result as an association reported without a coefficient, not as evidence that raising a tool’s score moves a page up. To check a title’s length in pixels before publishing, use the SERP snippet preview.