When people think of SEO (search engine optimization), most imagine keywords, quality content, backlinking, local SEO, and social media posts – not about using title tags correctly. While these things undoubtedly play a significant role in SEO, people tend to neglect other aspects of SEO in favor of these elements of SEO. For example, many businesses pay little to no attention to technical SEO, even though this type of SEO can be a game-changer when ranking highly in search engines.
To try technical SEO, you should start learning about using title tags. Here is a brief guide to using title tags for website optimization.
What Are Title Tags?
Chances are, the first question that pops up in your mind is, “What are title tags?”
A title tag is an HTML element specifying a web page’s title. When you search a keyword in Google or other search engines, the title tag appears on search engine results pages. To be more specific, the title tag is the clickable headline for a result. Now that you know what title tags are, you can probably see why title tags are so important in search engine optimization, social sharing, and usability.
If you want to optimize your website so that its pages rank highly in SERPs, you must ensure that every page’s title tag is concise and accurate. Here are a few tips that should help you do just that.
Using Title Tags Tip 1 – Optimal Length
You want to consider two factors regarding the length of your title tags. The first factor you want to consider is your audience’s attention span (non-existent), and the second factor you want to consider is whether the title tag will be displayed correctly.
People tend to have a very short attention span when using the Internet. It is in your best interest to keep title tags as brief and concise as possible. Otherwise, you risk some users skipping over your web page in favor of other pages in SERPs.
It would help if you also remember that Google tends to display the first 50 to 60 characters of a web page’s title tag. Therefore, you should limit your title tags to 60 characters to maximize your chances of the title tags displaying correctly in SERPs. Even if you limit your title tags to 60 characters, your title tags won’t be displayed correctly because characters vary in length, and 600 pixels is the current max for Google’s display titles.
Fortunately, if you use WordPress, there are a lot of different plugins that will help you create title tags with the correct length (among other things). Rank Math is our favorite, and it is free to use.
With over 1.5 million happy users (we use it too!), RankMath is a WordPress SEO plugin that makes optimizing your content easy.
- Free Version Available
- Well Supported
- Easy to Use
- Effective
- Paid Version Needed for more Advanced Features
Using Title Tags Tip 2 – Use SEO Keywords, But Don’t Overdo It
You definitely want to use SEO keywords in your title tag but don’t want to overdo it.
Google’s algorithm won’t penalize your web pages for having long title tags. However, you may face a penalty if you start stuffing your title tags with many keywords. You don’t want to use so many SEO keywords that it hurts the user experience. It would be best to use variations of the exact keywords multiple times in a title tag. Users unsurprisingly have a hard time understanding title tags stuffed with keywords, and search engines can understand variations of the same keyword. You can expect to get penalized by Google’s algorithm if you overdo it when it comes to keywords.
Overall, using SEO keywords in title tags is important for several reasons:
- Improved Search Engine Visibility: The title tag is one of the most important on-page SEO elements. Search engines use it to determine the content of a web page and display it in search engine results pages (SERPs). Using relevant keywords in the title tag increases the likelihood of your page appearing in search results when people search for those keywords.
- Increased Click-Through Rates (CTR): A compelling title tag that includes relevant keywords can also help increase your page’s click-through rate (CTR). When people see a title that matches their search query, they are likelier to click on it to learn more.
- Better User Experience: The title tag serves as a summary of the content on a web page. Using keywords that accurately describe the content, you can set clear expectations for users about what they will find on your page. This helps improve the overall user experience and reduces users’ likelihood of returning to the search results page.
- Competitive Advantage: Using relevant keywords in your title tag can help you stand out. If your competitors are not using relevant keywords in their title tags, you can gain an advantage by doing so and potentially outrank them in search results.
Overall, using SEO keywords in title tags is an essential aspect of on-page SEO that can help improve search engine visibility, increase click-through rates, enhance user experience, and provide a competitive advantage.
Using Title Tags Tip 3 – Every Page Should Have a Unique Title Tag
Writing a unique title tag for every page on your website can be cumbersome. However, it is entirely worthwhile because unique title tags indicate to search engines that your content is valuable and unique.
Unique title tags will help increase click-through rates. If you’re struggling to create unique title tags for hundreds or even thousands of pages, you can use CMS and code-based templates to help craft title tags. These tools will help you craft unique and data-driven title tags for most pages on your website.
Such tools are beneficial for eCommerce websites with thousands of product pages. You could create a template for title tags based on the product name, the brand name, and the product category.
Avoid default names like “New Page” and “Home” at all costs. Using default names may cause Google to mistakenly believe your website has duplicate or plagiarized content. Also, default names tend to decrease click-through rates because they lack context and description.
Final Thoughts – Using Title Tags for Website Optimization
It isn’t flashy, but title tags can significantly impact your web page’s ranking in search engines like Google. Check out our other SEO articles for more information about using title tags for search engine optimization and technical SEO.
If you use WordPress, SEO plugins like Rankmath can help you with the heavy lifting and guide you to doing things correctly.
With over 1.5 million happy users (we use it too!), RankMath is a WordPress SEO plugin that makes optimizing your content easy.
- Free Version Available
- Well Supported
- Easy to Use
- Effective
- Paid Version Needed for more Advanced Features
