[New-bugs-announce] [issue40562] SEO: differentiate between Python 2 and Python 3 docs on Google SERP

[Simon Willison]

New submission from Simon Willison <swillison at gmail.com>:

When I search Google for a Python related term (e.g. "sqlite3 row" - see attached screenshot) I get back two results - one for the Python 2 documentation and one for the Python 3 documentation.

There is currently no indicator which result is for which version of Python.

Comparing https://docs.python.org/3/library/sqlite3.html with https://docs.python.org/2/library/sqlite3.html I think the problem is the way the title elements are designed:

sqlite3 — DB-API 2.0 interface for SQLite databases — Python 3.8.3rc1 documentation

v.s.

11.13. sqlite3 — DB-API 2.0 interface for SQLite databases - Python 2.7.18 documentation

As you can see in the attached screenshot, Google (at least in my desktop browser) chooses to truncate those titles before they get to the bit indicating the version of Python.

It may be worth consulting with Google directly about the best way to address this. Moving the Python version indicator to the start of the title may or may not be the best approach.

----------
assignee: docs at python
components: Documentation
files: sqlite3_row_-_Google_Search.png
messages: 368442
nosy: docs at python, simonw
priority: normal
severity: normal
status: open
title: SEO: differentiate between Python 2 and Python 3 docs on Google SERP
versions: Python 3.9
Added file: https://bugs.python.org/file49141/sqlite3_row_-_Google_Search.png

_______________________________________
Python tracker <report at bugs.python.org>
<https://bugs.python.org/issue40562>
_______________________________________