The Ultimate Guide to Meta Titles

A meta title or title tag is an HTML element that specifies the content of a web page. SERPs display title tags as the clickable headline for a given search result. Meta titles are both helpful to search engines and users. An internet user needs a website title so they can see an accurate description of what the page’s content entails before clicking on it. Search engines need a title to determine the relevancy of a web page, so it can show the user the content they’re looking for.

Title tags have a drastic impact on your search rankings and are visible to the average user searching Google. The words will appear at the top of each tab in your browser for both organic results and paid ads.

The title tag explains what the page is about. Google and other search engines look at the title tag and compare that to the rest of the content on the page.

If you’re working inside of Wordpress, we highly recommend the Yoast SEO plugin. The SEO plugin allows you to create a custom title tag within each page very easily. Make sure to keep your title tags descriptive and short.

Think of this as you standing outside next to your competitors with billboards in your hands. What would yours’ say about your webpage versus your competition? Make sure to add in your relevant keywords and location if you’re a local business.

 

Why are Meta Titles Important?

1. SERPs Rankings

One of the biggest reasons you want to spend some time choosing the right meta title is two-fold. First, you want to make sure the SERPs are ranking you correctly but second, you want the title to be clearly relevant to what they’re searching for. You can rank high but have no conversions because your title doesn’t match what the user is searching for.

2. Social Networks

When posting your phenomenally written blog or web page on social media, you want to make sure that it’s a title people will want to click on. This is the same as searching online. You have a split second to capture someone’s time on social media before they scroll right past your post. Make your title catchy but relevant to what they may be wanting to see.

3. Web Browsers

Your title tag will show up at the top of your web browser. More than likely, your user has many tabs opened up at the top of their website browser. A good way to make sure they don’t accidentally close the browser window is by clearly listing what the title is.

 

How do I write a good Meta Title?

1. Write unique titles for every page

Just as your website has unique pages, your title needs to be unique to that page as well. Your title should reflect exactly what’s on that specific page. You want your title to catch the user’s eye but also to make sure that search engines know what that specific page is all about. Make the title super easy to read so there is no confusion for the user or a search engine.

 

2. Watch your title length

Each search engine has its own number of characters they’ll display in the title tag. Google and other popular search engines will usually display 50-60 characters for a title tag in the search results before cutting it off. You should have for right around 50 characters.

Make sure that your most important keyword is toward the beginning of the title. Avoid using ALL CAPS for your titles as it makes it harder for search engines to read.

If your brand name is smaller, you can always add a “| brand name” at the end of your title to get more brand authority.

 

3. Use your target keyword but don’t overdo it

Yes, it’s true that keywords in your title help you rank higher in the SERPs. There is a right way of adding keywords into a title and the wrong way of doing it. You want to make sure that you’re only adding in keywords that have to do with that specific page. It wouldn’t look good if you ranked for a keyword that has nothing to do with that specific page.

It’s a great opportunity for you to rank higher when you include the main keyword(s) of that page since Google’s algorithm uses the title tag as one of the main ways it determines what the page is about.

This helps Google determine how relevant that specific page is to what the user is searching for. This is another reason you don’t want to add too many keywords in the title so Google doesn’t get confused about what the page is truly about.

 

4. Put important keywords first

Just like anything else in life, you have a split second to catch a user’s attention. Adding keywords closer to the beginning of your title tag may have more impact on them clicking the title and also search rankings.

Research has shown, people may scan little as the first two words of a headline to tell if it’s worth reading or not.

Good example: Buy CBD Oil | CBD Hemp Oil | Pure CBD Oil | Goat Grass CBD

Bad example: Brand Name | Major Product Category – Minor Product Category – Name of Product

 

5. Write with your customers in mind

As you now know, title tags are very important to SEO and search rankings. Also, remember that it is even more important to get users to click on the title. Make sure you think about the user experience when you’re creating title tags and meta.

 

6. Leverage your brand

If you’re trying to get your brand more well-known, it’s smart to add your brand name or site title to your title tag. We recommend putting your brand name or site title at the end of your title.

Learn more about Meta Tags or if you’d like us to take a look at your SEO, contact us for a FREE SEO Audit today!