How to write the perfect title tag

0
Mar 18, 2022 / by
How to write the perfect title tag

Titles are often pretty hard. Ask anyone who’s ever written a novel. When it comes to SEO, however, the ideal title is often going to be the most obvious and straightforward part of the whole page. It is, after all, what people see first and what lets them know exactly what they’re looking at. Why, in that case, is title tag optimisation so often overlooked as an SEO tactic?

What is a title tag?

Essentially, a title tag is not only the title that sits at the top of the page but the clickable part of the search result that brings a search engine user to your site. You’ll see the title tag of any page by viewing its source. On this page, for example, it would look like this:-

<title>How to write the perfect title tag</title>

It is incredibly important not only for Google (so they can more easily ascertain a page’s content) but for content creators and site owners. It is, after all, the first thing people will see before they reach your site. It’s also an incredibly powerful potential SEO weapon as long as you know how to wield it.

Where do title tags appear?

The title tag certainly gets around. Not only will it be the part of the link the user clicks on the search engine results page (SERP) but it will also appear in the tab of your browser. That’s why the tag should always start with the most valuable information, as when more tabs get added to a browser, the information gets condensed. Title tags even appear on other sites and social media profiles, so you want your tag to be as clear as possible.

Top tagging tips

  • The title should not only satisfy all search engine requirements but be attractive to your target audience.
  • Describe the content of the page using the target keyword. Use the other words in your description to trigger an emotion in the reader.
  • The best titles grab attention immediately and act as a compelling CTA.
  • A good headline will include numbers, keywords and trigger words. It will also be as short and simple as possible while also getting all relevant information across.
  • Use monosyllabic words like “what, where, when and how” to give readers instant knowledge of what kind of content they will find on the other side of that click.
  • It might make sense to have your brand or business name in the title tag for your home page but on other pages, it can be a hindrance. Perhaps consider putting the brand name at the end of the title tag, rather than the beginning, in all situations except the home page?
  • There is a 600-pixel width limit allocated to title tags on the SERP. If your title tag exceeds that limit, it will be truncated automatically by Google. So always check your tag is within this limit.
  • Duplicate titles will confuse search engines leading to both pages being ranked poorly.

Ultimately, the bottom line is this – titles that are too short don’t offer enough information and titles that are too long won’t be displayed properly. Finding that perfect middle ground is what title tagging is all about. It’s not quite as easy as it sounds but, as with anything in life, practice makes perfect.