What is a title tag and why does it matter?
The title tag is an HTML element that specifies the title of a given web page. They are displayed on search engine results pages (SERPs) as the clickable headline for a given result and are important for usability, SEO and social sharing.
Title Tags in the wild:
Why are Title Tags Important?
Title tags are an important factor in helping search engines understand what your page is about, and they are the first impression many people will have of your page. They are used in three key places:(1) search engine results pages (SERPs), (2) web browsers, and (3) social networks.
How to Write a Good Title Tag
Since titles are such an important factor for both search engine optimization and user experience, writing them effectively is a low-effort, high-impact task.
- Watch your title length - If your title is too long, search engines will cut it off and add an ellipsis ("..") and this could end up cutting off important words. We generally recommend keeping titles under 70 or so characters long. The exact limit is a bit complicated and based on a 600-pixel container.
- Don't overdo "SEO" keywords - Keyword stuffing title tags is bad for user experience, SEO and in turn bad for you. We recommend you avoid titles that are just a list of keywords or repeat variations of the same word multiple times. For example, Buy Widgets, Best Widgets, Cheap Widgets, Widgets for Sale. Search engines are complex and can understand variations of keywords.
- Put important keywords first - According to testing and experience, keywords closer to the beginning of your title tag may have more impact on search rankings. In addition, user experience research shows that people may scan as few as the first two words of a headline.
- Take advantage of your brand - If you have a strong personal brand that people search for then by adding it to your titles it may help boost clicks to your page. We recommend putting your personal brand (name) at the end of the title tag.
Here are some ideas to get you started thinking:
- {{Industry or Niche}} + Journalist | {{Your Name or Brand}}
- {{Industry or Niche}} + Journalist | {{Name or Brand}} {{Call to Action}}