Ask Do search engines still value keyword placement in titles as much as they used to?

[Brajet]

Keyword placement in titles still seems to matter, though not in the same rigid way it once did. Search engines now appear to focus more on whether the title makes sense and matches what someone actually wants to know. Stuffing keywords awkwardly into a title can even hurt more than help these days. A natural sounding title that still includes the main keyword tends to perform better overall. Has keyword placement lost its importance, or has it simply changed shape over time?