Title tag optimization is critical for both SEO and user experience. Title tag of a webpage should be a concise and accurate description of its content. If you want to improve your website’s SEO, you should focus on the ways to optimize the title tag. An effectively written title tag will significantly improve your website’s visibility in SERPs.

What are title tags?

Title tags are also known as HTML titles, website titles, and page titles. Title tag is used in the HTML file with <title> element. It is the clickable title of any website that appears on the search engine result pages. Use the title tag as given below:

<head>

  <title> Give the title of your page here !</title>

</head>

Why are titles important for SEO?

Title tags are the first thing a user sees about your website and they are critical in helping search engines determine what your page is about. They enable search engines to ascertain how relevant a page is to users’ search. In addition, the title also appears when someone chooses to share your website on any social media platform. That’s the reason the title of the page should be as accurate and relevant to the content of the page as possible.

What are some SEO tips for writing title tags?

Writing title tags is a combination of art and science, as it includes careful placement of words that is legible to both humans and algorithms. The title is the first impression for searchers to get an idea about the content on the website. While writing the title, you should be mindful that it meets all search engine requirements and is attractive to users. Your focus should be on describing what is on the page and the target keyword should be there in the title. 

A 4-Step Guide to create SEO friendly title tag

Step 1: Title tags should contain your main keyword

The placement of the focus keyword in the title tag should be organic, however, it is preferable to keep it close to the beginning of the title.

Keywords should be carefully selected and placed in the title tag. In the example below, the primary keyword for ‘cake designs’ is deleted in Google’s search result, thus defeating the purpose of attracting users and search engine algorithms. 

Title tag example

If your brand name is famous, you can use it in the title tag to increase your click-through rates. Otherwise, it is recommended to focus the title on the product first, but there are cases like your ‘Home’ page or ‘About Us’ page where your title should be more brand-focus.

Step 2: Length

The title should be 55-60 characters long. If your title tag is too long, Google might truncate it by adding ellipses and could result in omitting important keywords. Avoid ALL CAPS titles as it may impact the number of characters displayed in Google’s SERPs. Some capital letters like “W” occupy larger space than lowercase letters, thus a careful selection of words is highly recommended.

In the example below, the first title is displayed completely even though it has 77 characters, whereas the second title with 42 characters is truncated.

Title tag example

 Step 3: Give unique title to every page 

Unique titles for every page on your website will enable search engines to understand the uniqueness of the content on each page. Do not use default titles like “New Page” as these titles might mislead search engines to think that there is duplicate content on the website. Using redundant and unclear titles always reduce click-through rates. 

Step 4: Include attractive, call to action words to improve click-through rates

You should consider using words like “What,” “How,” “Why,” and “Where” in the title tags as searchers often start searching for queries on the Internet by asking a question. Such words can give users an idea about what kind of content is there on the website.

You can also make the title tags catchy by using words like “Best,” “Review,” and “free” to grab attention and increase CTRs. If your title doesn’t convince potential readers to click through it, Google gets a negative impression. The more click your title gets, search engines will reward your website with better rankings. 

What is the difference between Title Tags and H1 tags?

Consider making your title tag different from H1 tag, both including different sets of keywords that will organically improve your SEO. The primary difference between a title tag and an h1 tag is that the title tag is displayed in the search result snippet and browser window, whereas the h1 tag is displayed only on the page. The title tag is placed in the HTML <head> section and the H1 tag is part of the <body> of the page. 

Title tag example

There are six different heading elements starting from h1, h2, and so on. Header tag or the <H1> tag is an HTML CSS tag used for the title of a post on a page. H1 is the first heading visible on the page and has a larger font than h2, h3, h4, h5, and h6 tags.

heading

How to Improve SEO with H1 Tags?

  • Use one H1 Tag: You should use only one H1 tag as presence of more than one H1 tag can confuse search engines. If you include multiple header tags, Google might find it difficult to choose the correct heading and your SEO efforts will also be impacted.
  • Length of the H1 Tag: An extremely long header will not help search engines to identify content in the page, instead it will dilute the strength of the keywords. Your H1 tag length should be between 20-70 characters as it will help search engines to easily comprehend the heading.
  • Your H1 tag should be prominent: An H1 tag should be the most prominent and highlighted element on the webpage. It is a semantic element, yet it is also treated as a style element because it makes the semantic tags more effective. Your H1 tag should be visually appealing, noticeable, and prominent as it will also enhance user experience.
  • Use long-tail keywords in H1 Tags: Long-tail keywords have higher conversion rates in comparison to simple keywords, as long-tail keywords are how people search the Internet. It will help you in creating a more relevant and clear H1 tag. Your H1 tag should match the user intent as it will increase the time they spend on your website and improve your rankings in the long run. So, the best practise is to write an attractive H1 tag that meets user queries.

What are the best SEO tools to check title tags?

To test your title tags, you can use the following online tools:

  • SEMrush Site Audit: This tool helps you to determine any problem on the website. It helps you determine the duplicate titles and meta descriptions on the site. It will also show you the pages that have missing titles.
  • Content Audit: This tool provides a table to analyze the content from a written text perspective as opposed to a technical SEO perspective like the site audit tool.
  • Yoast Plugin for WordPress: This plugin is very popular for its functionality. It checks your On-page SEO and offers suggestions for the page title and description.

What are WordPress tags for SEO?

What are WordPress tags for SEO?

WordPress tags and categories play a vital role in organizing your site’s posts properly. They can help you to increase the web traffic, boost your page views, and offer a great experience to your potential customers.  With the proper use of tags and categories, you...

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How title tags affect SEO?
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How title tags affect SEO?
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Title tag optimization is critical for both SEO and user experience. Title tag of a webpage should be a concise and accurate description of its content. If you want to improve your website’s SEO, you should focus on the ways to optimize the title tag. An effectively written title tag will significantly improve your website’s visibility in SERPs.
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