Title Tags for your Web Pages
Karl Kasca
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Titles (SEO) -  Improving the Titles of your web pages is the single most important thing you can do to optimize your web site.

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Titles are what are displayed first and foremost in web search engine results pages (SERPs).  Titles are also shown in the task bar at bottom of your screen, in your Favorites/Bookmarks, and under the icons on your desktop when you save web pages there.  How many times have you seen totally useless non-descriptive titles in any of those places?  Our guess is: Lots! 

So from the visitor's/customer's perpective having easily readable and understandable Titles will immediately help them know what your web pages are about and if they will have value for them.

Check all of the web pages on your web site to assure that each web page has a different/unique Title and that the title clearly describes the content of each web page in a few words or a key phrase.

The first words in the title are the most important. That said: It's also important to create titles which will attract humans to choose your web page (from all of the other titles they see on a page of search results).

Since Titles are the first text about your web page displayed in search engine results, make sure that they are something you'd choose if you were seeing them for the first time.

Use Keywords in your Title tags, but don't stuff them with keywords. Place the most important keywords in the first part of the Title.  



Example of Title Tag


<title>SEO Tips and Tricks</title>. 

The title tag is placed between the headers on your web page, e.g.:

<html>
<head>
<title>SEO Tips and Tricks</title>
</head>



How long should your Title be?


Safest: Try not to exceed 40-60* characters (around 3-12 words with spaces) between the title tags.

Thrillseekers: More characters/words than that...
* Note: Google cuts off displaying the title after 65 characters.  
          After the first 65 characters Google inserts an elipsis (...) and cuts off the remaining words.

Bottom Line: If you want people to see all of the words in your Title, choose words that don't go over 65 characters. Our limit of 40-60 characters should keep your titles safely visible on most search engines people may use.



Watch the video and see how to find and change the Title Tag:


 



Action Steps


1) View the Source of your web page.  How?  From your internet brower's menu bar, select the Source.
  • For Internet Explorer, choose: View > Source   


    • This brings up Notepad, where the source code can be viewed.


  • For Firefox, choose: View > Page Source


    • This brings up the source code in another browser window.


2) Search for the Title tag: <title>

 - From the Menu: Edit > Find  , then key in "<title>" without the quotes.

 - Using Keyboard Shortcuts: Usually <Ctrl> & F  (for Find)  , or

                                                          <Alt> & E & F  (for Edit & Find)

3) Once you find the Title tag, see what, if anything, is between the tags: <title> and </title>
  • If no words are there, insert a page title using the information/tips in the article above.


  • If words are there, evaluate them to see if they're the best for the title of your web page.


    • If you find: <title> Home </title> or <title> Home Page </title> you definitely need to change it to something more informative/descriptive for the page.


    • See Related Article on Great Tips for Choosing Keywords for Titles for more guidance on this.


4) Add/Change the text of the Title as needed.
  • See Related Article on Great Tips for Choosing Keywords for Titles for more guidance on this.


5) Check to assure that the length of your titles are within 40-60 characters.
  • How? Go to your word processing program, such as Microsoft Word:


    • Copy your Title from Notepad: Select the text, <Ctrl> & C (to copy), <Ctrl> & V (to paste)


      • Use the Command or Apple key if you have a Mac.


    • In MS-Word, go to Tools on the menu bar and choose "Word Count"


      • The number of "Characters (with spaces)" will be displayed.


        • Make sure this is under 60 or less.



Tip: You can easily view all of the Title on the pages on your website by doing a site search in Google.
  • How? Go to Google:


    • Type "site:www.yourdomainname.com" without the quotes. *


      • In the search results you'll see every page Google has indexed for your website with the Titles displayed in blue underlined text.  Now just look at each title and see if each title would attract/intrigue you enough to follow it to your site.  If not, change it/them.


    • For example: site:www.increaseonlineprofits.com




Resources:


Title Tag - <title>: The Most Important Element of a Quality Web page
http://www.w3.org/QA/Tips/good-titles

* Google: Advanced Operators
   http://www.google.com/help/operators.html
- See Query modifiers section, then Site


ARTICLE DATE: 10/13/2008
REVISED DATE:



ARTICLE DATE: 12/31/08
REVISED DATE:





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 Related Articles
·  Using/Improving Meta Descriptions of Web Pages
·  Submitting Your Website to Online Directories - DMOZ - and Search Engines


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