Title Tags — What, How & FAQs
What is a title tag?
A title tag is an HTML attribute, placed in the <head> section of every page of the website to define the webpage title: (1) in search engine results pages (SERPs); (2) when added to favorites; (3) in the browser toolbar; and (4) on social media.
The title tag shows up in search results in blue, and is clickable.
Example of the Meta Title Tag
HTML Code Sample
<title>Title Tag HTML Code Example</title>Position
Title tag attributes are placed in the <head> section of the webpage.
<head>
<title>Title Tag HTML Code Example</title>
</head>Every webpage must have only one title tag.
Ideal Length
The ideal length of the title tag attribute in 2020 is 50-60 characters.
It is recommended to keep title tags below 60 characters to ensure that the assigned title shows adequately in the search results.
Format
Primary Keyword | Modifier + Secondary Keyword – Brand Name
Boise Plumping | Professional Plumber in Boise – Dan’s Plumbing
The primary keyword is the keyword you want to rank for in the search. Adding modifiers along with your secondary keyword makes your title tags more appealing to the audience. Finally your brand tag ensures your webpage is branded.
You want your listing to be as specific as possible when targeting location, and as general as possible when targeting keywords.
Title tag metrics
When it comes to writing new title tags or reviewing your old ones, it is highly recommended that you analyze the strength of your title tags based on the three main title tag metrics.
1. Readability Score
It is very important that your page title contains your most important keywords (this is usually done in the first few words of the title). However, keep in mind that people need to be able to read and understand the title as well.
If you have a title that is too long, has too many keywords, or is written in a foreign language, it will probably confuse users and they won’t click through to your website.
2. SEO Score
It might be a good idea to have an SEO professional analyze the strength of your page title, as this is very important for improving the rank of your page.
Also, if you are targeting a local market, your title should reflect the city or region that you are targeting.
3. Sentiment Score
Your page title should reflect the positive, professional nature of your company. Title tags with an emotional approach, whether positive or negative, tend to get more click-through rates (CTR) than titles without.
Try adding sentimental keywords to your title tags that would build trust or trigger the emotion of the audience.
How to write a good title tag?
The title tag is one of the most important on-page SEO factors to consider. Improving your title tags can lead to a boost in click-through rate and ultimately more traffic.
Here are some tips to create effective title tags:
1. Use your target keyword once within your title tag
Research the keywords that you would like to be found under. While writing your title tag, include your main keyword at least once but avoid using it more than three times.
Overuse of keywords can be a sign of spam and can trigger filters designed to eliminate such content from SERPs.
2. Use your keyword in the beginning of the tag
Placing your main keyword at the start of your title tag can improve its discoverability.
In addition, Google gives more importance to the words that appear in the beginning of a title tag.
3. Create a compelling headline
Your title tag is prominently displayed in SERPs so it should entice searchers to click on your webpage.
Make your headline specific and relevant to the webpage content so that users will be drawn in by the promise of useful, related content.
4. Keep the length under 60 characters
It is ideal to keep your title tag under 60 characters so it will display without truncation in SERPs.
Although you can configure your title tag to be up to 300 characters, it will get cut off after 60 characters in most browsers.
5. Create a unique title tag for each page
While it is important to keep your keyword consistent in order to rank for it, you should create a unique title tag for every page on your site.
This will help you stand out in the SERPs by creating a custom title tag that is closely related to the content of that specific webpage.
In some cases, using the same keyword but in different forms can increase your visibility.
6. Write for your customers, not the search engines
It may seem counterintuitive to write title tags for users rather than the search engines themselves, but it is in your best interest to do so. The top search results are typically those pages that provide the most useful information to the searcher, not the ones with the most keywords stuffed in awkward places.
7. Pick the right key phrases
The last step to picking the right keyphrases is to choose super long-tail keyphrases.
Picking the right keyphrase is an important part of picking the right individual pages for your website, but don’t forget that each page should probably have two or three keyword phrases that you want that page to rank for. This is because different people use different phrasing when searching.
Title Tag FAQs
Why are title tags important?
The title tag is the single most important on-page SEO variable and can dramatically improve the success of your online marketing campaign.
The importance of the title tag lies in its ability to tell search engines what your page is about. A clever title can go a long way to helping your business get ahead of the competition.
What is the ideal length for a title tag?
Most sources will tell you that the ideal length for a title tag is between 55 and 60 characters. Google states that they don’t have a set limit and instead rely on finding the right balance between including relevant keywords and not cutting off the title at an awkward place. That being said, most of the top ranking pages have title tags around 65 characters in length, so there certainly isn’t anything wrong with going just beyond the average.
What should I do if my title tag is too long?
If you find that your title tag is much longer than 60 characters you have a few different options. You can try to remove keywords that aren’t 100% necessary and still yield good results. Just be careful not to ruin the readability or attractiveness of your page by jamming it full of gibberish!
What is the correct placement of a keyword in the title tag?
The best practice for you should be to place your most important keyword at the beginning of the title and repeat it once towards the end of the tag with a modifier.
Can I repeat my title tags on every page?
Repeating your title tag on every page is a bad idea. Google and other search engines will see this as keyword stuffing and you can actually damage your ranking rather than improve it. You also don’t want to have multiple versions of the same title tag shown in the SERPs.
How to write query specific title tags?
The first few words in your title tag are the most important if you want to rank. This is because Google puts a lot of weight on the first words in the title tag when it comes to ranking your page.
However, if you want to be really specific about a query you can add words like “how to” or “definition” at the beginning to narrow down your results. Otherwise, Google automatically assumes you are looking for the “best” result and filters out everything else.
Why does Google ignore my title tags?
There are a few reasons why Google would ignore your assigned title tag and use something of its own. 1) Google finds your title spammy 2) your title tag does not meet the query 3) There is an alternate title for your webpage.
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