Numbers and brackets in title tags by vertical (top-5 ranking pages)
| Vertical | Title tags | Contains a number | Contains a bracket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apparel | 921 | 16.3% | 1.5% |
| Auto parts | 844 | 17.2% | 2.8% |
| Baby | 1,044 | 21.5% | 4.4% |
| Beauty | 900 | 30.1% | 4.1% |
| Dental and medical | 1,067 | 8.8% | 3.6% |
| DIY | 945 | 24.1% | 5.4% |
| Education | 1,040 | 14.8% | 7.2% |
| Electronics | 834 | 35.9% | 6.1% |
| Finance | 960 | 15.3% | 2.7% |
| Fitness | 950 | 32.1% | 4.1% |
| Gaming | 1,117 | 16.7% | 4.7% |
| Gardening | 930 | 21.5% | 3.0% |
| Health | 1,175 | 9.8% | 8.6% |
| Home | 922 | 18.7% | 6.0% |
| Home services | 885 | 15.0% | 4.6% |
| Insurance | 956 | 13.2% | 5.1% |
| Jewelry | 1,123 | 19.9% | 1.0% |
| Kitchen | 848 | 17.9% | 8.4% |
| Legal | 1,207 | 13.3% | 4.8% |
| Marketing | 1,148 | 13.5% | 6.5% |
| Outdoor | 953 | 19.6% | 5.2% |
| Parenting | 583 | 18.4% | 3.6% |
| Pets | 992 | 12.6% | 3.6% |
| Real estate | 914 | 21.0% | 1.3% |
| Recipes | 862 | 15.0% | 10.7% |
| Restaurants | 741 | 18.6% | 4.3% |
| SaaS comparisons | 1,189 | 24.7% | 3.5% |
| Software | 1,246 | 31.9% | 10.1% |
| Supplements | 1,073 | 28.5% | 6.0% |
| Travel | 930 | 16.0% | 7.6% |
Source: PageSpeed Matters, Oct 2026. Numbers include years, model names and prices.
Summary
Numbers and brackets are two of the most repeated pieces of title tag advice: add a number to stand out, add a bracketed phrase to earn the click. We checked how often the pages that already rank on page one actually use them.
Less often than the advice suggests. 19.3% of 29,299 top-5 ranking title tags contain a number and 5.0% use brackets or parentheses. The #1 result uses both slightly less than positions 2 to 5, and usage swings widely by vertical.
What we measured
We looked at 49,855 top-5 ranking pages for 10,019 US keywords in October 2026 and could read a title tag on 29,776 of them. The 29,299 title tags that were still readable on a second check later that month form the base. We also checked the titles Google displayed for the same keywords: 10,019 results at #1 and 40,060 at positions 2 to 5.
A title counts as containing a number when it has any digit, and as containing a bracket when it has a phrase in square brackets or parentheses. Numbers include years, model names and prices, so this is not a count of list-style titles. Each vertical has between 583 and 1,246 title tags.
About one in five top titles contains a number
19.3% of the 29,299 readable top-5 ranking title tags contain a number, roughly one in five. Brackets are much rarer: 5.0% contain a bracketed or parenthesised phrase.
Because any digit counts, the number figure includes a model number in an electronics title, a price, a dosage or a year, as well as list headlines. The real share of list-style titles is lower than 19.3%. For most searches, a title with no number at all is the norm on page one.
19.3%
Share of 29,299 top-5 ranking title tags that contain a number, including years, model names and prices.
The top result uses numbers slightly less often
Title tags at #1 contain a number 17.0% of the time, against 20.0% at positions 2 to 5, across 6,285 and 23,014 pages. Brackets follow the same direction: 4.6% at #1 against 5.2% at positions 2 to 5.
Google's displayed titles show the same gap. In the #1 spot, 17.9% of displayed titles contain a number and 4.9% a bracket, across all 10,019 keywords. At positions 2 to 5, 20.7% of 40,060 displayed titles contain a number.
The gaps are small, and they do not mean numbers hurt rankings. A likely reason is the kind of page that ranks first: brand, product and official pages often hold #1 and rarely need a number in the title.
Numbers cluster in product and software verticals
Numbers are most common in electronics title tags, at 35.9%, followed by fitness (32.1%), software (31.9%) and beauty (30.1%). These verticals are likely full of model numbers, product versions, sizes, plan prices and dated roundups.
They are rarest in dental and medical, at 8.8% of title tags, and health, at 9.8%. Pages in these verticals usually describe a condition, a treatment or a service, where a number has little to add.
Brackets peak in recipes and software
Brackets peak in recipes (10.7%) and software (10.1%), with health (8.6%) and kitchen (8.4%) close behind. Recipe titles likely use parentheses for a qualifier such as a diet or a cooking method, and software titles for a pricing note or a platform.
They are almost absent in jewelry (1.0%) and real estate (1.3%). Even in the verticals where they are most common, roughly nine in ten top-5 title tags do without them.
What this means for your site
Use a number when it carries real information: a model, a size, a price, a count of items in a list, or a year on content that is updated yearly. Do not add one just to stand out, since most page-one titles have none.
Treat brackets the same way. A short qualifier in parentheses can clarify what a page covers, but on most searches top results do not use them. Look at the titles already ranking for your keyword, match the format searchers expect, and keep the main search term at the front of the title.
Sources
- Google Search Central, influencing title links in Google Search: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/title-link
- PageSpeed Matters analysis of Google top-5 results for 10,019 US keywords, October 2026
Embed this research
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<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Source: <a href="https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/numbers-in-title-tags">Numbers in Title Tags 2026: 19.3% of Top 5 Results - PageSpeed Matters</a></p>
Frequently asked questions
Should I put a number in my title tag?
Only when it carries real information. 19.3% of 29,299 top-5 ranking title tags contain a number, and that includes years, model names and prices, so most page-one titles have none.
Do brackets in title tags help?
Top results rarely use them. Only 5.0% of top-5 ranking title tags contain a bracketed or parenthesised phrase, rising to 10.7% in recipes and falling to 1.0% in jewelry.
Do #1 results use numbers in their titles?
Slightly less than the rest of the top 5. Title tags at #1 contain a number 17.0% of the time against 20.0% at positions 2 to 5, and displayed titles show 17.9% against 20.7%.
Title tags are quick to change, and matching the format searchers already see on page one is an easy way to make each one count. Need help with this? See our on-page SEO services.