Optimizing Title Tags

A title tag represents the title of a webpage and is the heading of the search result when it appears on the SERP. Google uses title tags to formulate a rough idea of your website’s content in order to deliver accurate results based on the customer’s search intent. The title tag is often the very first piece of information that users see regarding your site and likely will determine whether or not a customer chooses to visit your site. Therefore, it is crucial for a title tag to be chosen and optimized properly.

One recommended practice for optimizing title tags is to keep them short and straightforward. Google will only display the first 50-60 characters (including spaces), so it is important to stick to this many characters or less. If you don’t, the title of your page will be cut off, and the intent of your site will be unclear. Users will probably not click on your page just to see exactly what you are offering on your site; instead, they will probably click on a different site with a short, clear title. In order to shorten your title tag, opt for a descriptive title indicating the intent of your site rather than including your brand name up front. A few other simple tips are avoiding caps and using symbols (such as &) to save space where appropriate.

Another relevant tip for optimizing title tags is to create unique title tags for each unique page on your site. This will allow users to find your site based on several possible searches rather than just one or two specific searches. Implementing descriptive, unique tags for each page can help users find exactly what they are looking for on your site before they even click the link. It also makes navigating through your site much more intuitive for users, which could give you a leg up over competitors.

One final recommendation for implementing title tags is to focus on targeting only one primary keyword within the title. Jamming multiple keywords into the title tag can confuse both the users (when searching) and the search engine itself (when deciding which results to provide). “Keyword stuffing” can hinder your site’s possible ranking in the SERP and can also make your site come across as ‘spammy’ and unreliable. Rather than shoving multiple keywords into one title tag, a much better practice would be to divide your content into multiple pages based roughly on keywords and create a unique, descriptive title tag for each individual page.

Overall, it is essential to optimize your site’s title tags properly in order to achieve the best ranking on the SERP and generate the most user traffic. A successful title tag must be relevant, descriptive, short, clear, and unique.