Title tags are probably more important than we think. Title tags are the words you see that you can click on to travel from the SERP to a webpage. We only look at them for a few seconds, but it’s in that miniscule amount of time that we determine whether a website is relevant to what we are looking for or not.
According to SEMrush, title tags are important SEO tools as well. Title tags that Google deems most useful to searchers will achieve higher SERP rankings. Not only does Google use the title tag to determine your webpage’s usefulness to searchers, the searchers themselves also consider whether your page will provide the content they need based on the title tag. When writing the title tag, it is important to think about how users will view it. SEMrush points out that the title tag is doesn’t just effect users’ first impression of your site on Google, it is also what users will see when they’ve been sent a link to your site through mobile platforms. It is also the text that will be displayed in the tabs at the top of users’ screens. Therefore, the title tag is an important tool to optimize when creating a webpage.
SEMrush recommends including your main keyword in the title tag and to stay within Google’s 50-60 character limit. In class, we discussed the difference between writing title tags that attract searchers to click the link because the content will be useful to them and writing title tags that qualify as “click bait.” In my experience as an editor for the College newspaper, I’ve frequently had to consider how to write titles that are interesting and will grab readers’ attention without being dishonest. If you write a title that is “click bait,” readers will become irritated and less likely to read other articles in the paper. Readers are looking for stories that relate to topics they are interested in. The same goes for searchers. Searchers who experience click bait are less likely to visit your website in the future. Using click bait damages the trust that searchers have in your website. You lose credibility when you write a title tag that doesn’t relate to the content on your website.
Title tags are an element of webpage design that is often overlooked, but should be written with care. They are an important factor in attracting traffic to your website.
One Response
Using title tags is key to SEO and using them in the correct way will make or break your SEO marketing campaign. I think you did a great job putting it into words for this post, and I agree with a lot fo your points. Great job!