How Document Titles Appear in Search Results

A document title appears in the search results as the full title when the title is short, or as a section or excerpt of the longer title. When a document has an obvious title (this is simply the string of words on the first page of a document that you would recognize as its title), Search selects that title automatically for the list of search results. If a document does not have an obvious full title, Search uses methodologies to determine the title based on:

• The position of the text on a front page, for example, the first few sentences of the document.

• The size of the font. Usually the larger text on a first page denotes a title.

• The entry in the Title field in the Document Properties.

In some cases the document titles may not reflect the content properly or completely. A good document title identifies the topic and begins to inform the reader about the content. A poor title can obscure vital information so your customers may not select it although it contains the desired content. For example, the title Oracle B2C Service Administrator Guide describes the product and audience, but the title Admin Guide does not provide enough information.

The best way to ensure a good document title is to encourage authors to add strong titles to their documents.