---
title: "Numbers in Title Tags 2026: 19.3% of Top 5 Results"
url: https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/numbers-in-title-tags
description: "19.3% of 29,299 top-5 ranking title tags contain a number and 5.0% use brackets. Numbers peak in electronics (35.9%) and dip in dental and medical (8.8%)."
lang: en
---
Data Study ยท On-Page SEO
# Numbers in Title Tags 2026: 19.3% of Top 5 Results
19.3% of 29,299 top-5 ranking title tags contain a number and 5.0% use brackets or parentheses.
- 29,299 ranking title tags
- PageSpeed Matters, Oct 2026
Matt Suffoletto: https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/author/matt-suffoletto
Founder, PageSpeed Matters Published Oct. 19, 2026 6 min read
## Key Findings
1. **19.3%** of 29,299 readable top-5 ranking title tags contain a number, and **5.0%** contain a bracketed or parenthesised phrase. Copy stat
2. In the #1 spot, **17.9%** of displayed titles contain a number and 4.9% a bracket, across all 10,019 keywords. Copy stat
3. Title tags at #1 contain a number **17.0%** of the time against **20.0%** at positions 2 to 5 (6,285 and 23,014 pages), and brackets 4.6% against 5.2%. Copy stat
4. Google's displayed titles show the same gap: **17.9%** at #1 against **20.7%** at positions 2 to 5 (10,019 and 40,060 results). Copy stat
5. Numbers are most common in electronics (**35.9%**), fitness (32.1%), software (31.9%) and beauty (30.1%) title tags, and rarest in dental and medical (**8.8%**) and health (9.8%). Copy stat
6. Brackets peak in recipes (**10.7%**) and software (10.1%) and are almost absent in jewelry (**1.0%**) and real estate (1.3%). Copy stat
Title tags containing a number, by vertical (top and bottom 5)
Electronics 35.9%
Fitness 32.1%
Software 31.9%
Beauty 30.1%
Supplements 28.5%
Legal 13.3%
Insurance 13.2%
Pets 12.6%
Health 9.8%
Dental and medical 8.8%
Source: PageSpeed Matters. Title tags of top-5 ranking pages for 10,019 US keywords, Oct 2026.
Only the top and bottom 5 verticals are shown; the full list is in the comparison table.
In this study
## 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
Paste this on your site to embed the chart. It links back to the source automatically.
Source: Numbers in Title Tags 2026: 19.3% of Top 5 Results - PageSpeed Matters
## 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 (https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/services/on-page-seo).
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How we measured
## Methodology & Source
Data source
Google top-5 ranking pages for 10,019 US keywords
Collection date
October 2026
Sample
29,299 ranking title tags
Release
PageSpeed Matters, Oct 2026
Title tags and displayed titles checked for any digit and for phrases in square brackets or parentheses. 49,855 top-5 ranking pages checked; 29,299 title tags readable on a second check in October 2026. Displayed titles are the ones Google showed for the same searches in October 2026. Numbers include years, model names and prices, so this is not a count of list-style titles.
Using this data?
## Cite this study
Link back to the study when you cite it.
APA
Matt Suffoletto. (2026). Numbers in Title Tags 2026: 19.3% of Top 5 Results. PageSpeed Matters. https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/numbers-in-title-tags
Plain link
Numbers in Title Tags 2026: 19.3% of Top 5 Results - PageSpeed Matters - https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/numbers-in-title-tags
## Related studies
- On-Page SEO Years in Title Tags: Only 4.1% of Top Results Say 2026: https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/years-in-title-tags
- On-Page SEO 'Best' in Search Result Titles: 16.6% of Commercial Results: https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/best-in-title-tags
- On-Page SEO Title Tag Separators: Pipe 45.3%, Hyphen 26.8%: https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/title-tag-separators
- On-Page SEO Title Tag Branding 2026: 73.8% Put the Brand Last: https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/title-tag-branding-statistics
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