Google Not Bolding Keywords in Search Results in Some Cases?

Aug 13, 2008 - 8:42 am 6 by
Filed Under Google

Google has been bolding the search phrase within the search results for as long as I can remember. For example, a search on [search engine roundtable] will bold the words "search," "engine," and "roundtable," on the Google search results page. Here is a picture of one search result for that search phrase:

Google Bolding

But according to a WebmasterWorld thread, Google is not always bolding words. I have confirmed this to be true, in some cases Google will not bold an exact matched phrase, in the Google search results. Why? I am not sure. Especially after seeing the latest Google blog post on search quality describe how Google will not only bold exact matches in the search results, but also implied matches, such as with a search on arod, which matches on and bolds "Alex Rodriguez," picture:

Picture 1

So which examples can I show you that do not bold? How about my fun big blue pineapple chair example. Notice that in the third result, the title is not bolded:

Bolding Not?

That is just one quick example. I have seen more and I bet I can trigger more.

We have seen Google not bold URLs in some cases, and Google AdWords started bolding matches about a year or so ago. Even Google China bolds, but they bold in red.

Is this a bug, is there something more to this?

Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Search Video Recaps

 
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: March 31, 2025

Mar 31, 2025 - 10:00 am
Google Updates

Google March 2025 Core Update Impact Multiple Poll Results

Mar 31, 2025 - 7:51 am
Google News

Google To Pay $100 Million To Settle Old Ad Lawsuit On Clicks Outside Geo Target

Mar 31, 2025 - 7:41 am
Google Ads

Google To Allow Double Serving Ads In Different Ad Locations On Same Page

Mar 31, 2025 - 7:31 am
Google Search Engine Optimization

Google News Fully Transitioned To Automatically Generated Publication Pages

Mar 31, 2025 - 7:21 am
Google Maps

Google Business Profiles Bug Resurfacing Old Fake Removed Reviews

Mar 31, 2025 - 7:11 am
Previous Story: Google Shuts Down FeedBurner's Ad Network (FAN)