The Title Tag has always been considered to be one of the most important on-site factors considered by search engines when ranking a site. In this article we revisit the rules of working with Title Tags for search engine optimisation.
Top 3 reasons to love your web page title tags
The title tags lie between the <HEAD> and </HEAD> tags of your web pages and are marked out as <TITLE> </TITLE>. The text included within the title tag displays on the top of your browser window.
- Title Tags introduce your site
Title tags tell the users what you do in a few words. The title tag tells users what your web page is all about. E.g. a title such as “Cheap New York hotels” immediately tells you that the website deals with low-cost hotels in New York. Ideally they should be under 60 characters, including spaces. - Very important for search engine optimisation
All search engines pay a lot of importance to title tags. Since the title tag is meant to convey exactly what your web page is all about, search engines consider it to be a very important indicator of web page relevance when searching for a certain keyword. E.g. if you search for the term “reality tv” on Google, you will find the top 10 websites Google finds all contain the words “Reality TV” in their title. - Well written Title Tags will boost your sales
Good title tags will make you a winner. Most search engines display the text from your title tags in the search results, usually as the title of your listing. Good title tags prompt users to click on the search result to visit your website. Well constructed title tags will ensure that your site ranks high on the search results and attracts appropriate visitors who are most likely to convert into customers.
Top 3 reasons to hate other websites’ title tags!
- Title tag stuffing
Many businesses abuse the importance of title tags. Title tag stuffing is a common occurrence. It is a short term strategy and a very easy way to get your site blacklisted on most search engines. - Misleading title tags
If your title tag does not describe your web pages contents correctly, users will get irritated and leave your website quickly. Search engines also recognise this as a way to trick visitors and penalise web pages resorting to such tactics. - Empty title tags
If you do not specify your web page title, the search engine is compelled to pick up text from the top of your page. This may not always be what you want visitors to see as an introduction to your site.
About the Author
Farhad is the Group CEO of AccuraCast. With over 20 years of experience in digital, Farhad is one of the leading technical marketing experts in the world. His specialities include digital strategy, international business, product marketing, measurement, marketing with data, technical SEO, and growth analytics.
