JavaScript title changes on top 1M homepages by platform
| Platform | Title changed | No title in raw HTML | Title replaced | CWV pass (title changed) | Homepages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress | 2.9% | 2.1% | 0.8% | 44.9% | 112,355 |
| Shopify | 4.3% | 2.6% | 1.7% | 46.7% | 45,770 |
| Webflow | 3.2% | 1.2% | 2.0% | 39.0% | 2,581 |
| Wix | 5.7% | 5.4% | 0.3% | 47.9% | 874 |
| Other or custom | 15.1% | 9.1% | 6.0% | 17.2% | 594,791 |
| All homepages | 12.6% | 7.6% | 5.0% | 19.1% | 756,882 |
Source: PageSpeed Matters, Sept 2026. CWV pass covers homepages with a changed title and CrUX data.
Summary
The title tag is a core on-page signal, and it is often what people see as the clickable line in search results. Ideally the title in the HTML the server sends is the final one. When JavaScript changes it after load, crawlers that do not render the page see a different title, or none at all.
We compared raw and rendered titles on homepages in the top 1M sites by Chrome traffic. 95,312 of 756,882 homepages with a rendered title (12.6%) show a different title after JavaScript runs than in the HTML the server sends. Most of those send no title at all until scripts run.
What we measured
We used the September 2026 HTTP Archive mobile crawl of the top 1M sites by Chrome traffic and compared each homepage title in the raw HTML with the title after rendering. The base is the 756,882 homepages that have a rendered title. For speed, we used Chrome UX Report (CrUX) field data for the same homepages.
Not every rewrite is a problem. Some are harmless, such as a title that adds a notification counter or a personalised greeting. The Core Web Vitals gap below is an association, largely driven by heavy JavaScript stacks, and not evidence that rewriting a title slows a page.
One in eight homepages changes its title after JavaScript
12.6% of the 756,882 homepages (95,312) end up with a different title after JavaScript runs than the one in the raw HTML, about one in eight.
Those rewrites come in two kinds. 57,826 homepages (7.6% of the total) send no title at all in the raw HTML, so the title only exists after rendering. The other 37,486 (5.0%) send one title and replace it with another.
The first kind is the bigger risk. A crawler or link preview tool that reads only the raw HTML sees an untitled page. The second kind can be harmless, but if the two titles say different things, different systems may show different titles for the same page.
12.6%
Share of the 756,882 top 1M homepages with a rendered title whose title changes after JavaScript runs.
Platform-built homepages rarely rewrite titles
The platforms that render pages on the server rarely change titles in the browser. 2.9% of 112,355 WordPress homepages, 4.3% of 45,770 Shopify homepages, 3.2% of 2,581 Webflow homepages and 5.7% of 874 Wix homepages rewrite their title. On 594,791 homepages built on other or custom stacks, the rate is 15.1%.
Most of the custom-stack rewrites are missing titles: 9.1% of those homepages send no title in the raw HTML, against 2.1% on WordPress. That fits a common pattern for JavaScript apps, which often send a minimal HTML shell and set the title once the app loads. On the platforms, the rewrites that do happen are more likely to come from a plugin, app or tag that edits the title after load.
Popularity barely changes the rate
Title rewrites are about as common at the top of the web as further down. 11.3% of 737 Top 1K homepages rewrite their title, 10.1% of 6,518 in the Top 10K tier, 12.9% of 64,687 in the Top 100K tier and 12.6% of 684,940 in the Top 1M tier. Each tier is a separate rank band (the Top 10K tier means ranks 1K to 10K), so together they cover all 756,882 homepages.
So this is not a habit of small or neglected sites. It tracks how a site is built, as the platform gap shows, far more than how popular it is.
Title rewrites go with weaker Core Web Vitals
Homepages that rewrite their title pass Core Web Vitals less often. 19.1% of the 70,795 with CrUX data pass, against 46.1% of 516,689 homepages whose title is stable.
The title itself is not the cause. Changing a title takes almost no work for a browser. The gap reflects the kind of site that tends to rewrite titles: mostly custom JavaScript stacks, which likely also load more script. The platform table shows this. On WordPress and Shopify, homepages that rewrite their title still pass 44.9% and 46.7% of the time, while on other or custom stacks the figure is 17.2%.
What this means for your site
Check the title in the raw HTML, not just what the browser tab shows. View the page source, or fetch the page with a tool that does not run JavaScript, and compare that title with the one in the rendered page.
- If the raw HTML has no title, set it on the server. Most JavaScript frameworks support server-side rendering or prerendering of the head, including the title and meta description.
- If a script replaces the title, find out which one. Tag managers, A/B testing tools and SEO plugins can all edit titles after load.
- Keep harmless changes, such as unread counters, but make sure the raw title is the one you want in search.
Then confirm with Search Console's URL Inspection tool, which shows the rendered HTML Google saw for the page.
Sources
- HTTP Archive crawl, September 2026, mobile, top 1M sites by Chrome traffic, with Chrome UX Report (CrUX) field data
- Google Search Central, influencing title links in search results: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/title-link
Embed this research
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<script>window.addEventListener("message",function(e){if(e&&e.data&&e.data.psmEmbed==="javascript-title-rewrites"&&e.data.height){var f=document.getElementById("psm-javascript-title-rewrites");if(f){f.style.height=e.data.height+"px";}}});</script>
<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Source: <a href="https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/javascript-title-rewrites">JavaScript Title Rewrites: 12.6% of Top 1M Homepages - PageSpeed Matters</a></p>
Frequently asked questions
How many websites change their title with JavaScript?
12.6% of 756,882 homepages in the top 1M sites by Chrome traffic (95,312) show a different title after JavaScript runs than in the raw HTML. 7.6% send no title at all until scripts run.
Which platforms rewrite titles with JavaScript most?
Custom stacks. 15.1% of 594,791 homepages on other or custom stacks rewrite their title, against 2.9% of WordPress, 4.3% of Shopify, 3.2% of Webflow and 5.7% of Wix homepages.
Does changing the title with JavaScript hurt Core Web Vitals?
Homepages that rewrite their title pass less often, 19.1% against 46.1% for stable titles, but that is an association driven largely by heavy JavaScript stacks. On WordPress and Shopify, homepages that rewrite their title still pass 44.9% and 46.7% of the time.
Setting the title in the server-rendered HTML is usually a small change, and it makes sure every crawler and preview tool reads the title you chose. Need help with this? See our technical SEO services.