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How To Write Meta Title Tags For SEO?

Chloe Christine

What is a title tag? Put simply, it is a metadata tag on your website. Title tags are important because they give Google an idea of what the page is about. This also helps with search engine optimisation (SEO) and getting more traffic to your site.

Don’t forget to also check out our top 9 tips for advancing your SEO here!

So, what is a title tag? Can you show me an example? What's the point of a title tag? Can you show me some good and bad examples?

What are meta tags

Meta tags are crucial to the optimisation of a website from an SEO perspective. They provide information about a website for search engines and visitors to the site.

These are the tags that are inserted in the <head> section of an HTML document. These tags are:

  • Title tag

  • Meta description.

Meta descriptions are a vital aspect of SEO, so we’ve already discussed them in another post. For now, let’s focus on title tags, which are the most important meta tags on your site.

What is a title tag?

Your title tag is the most important part of your web pages. It tells search engines and visitors what your site is about so it can be easily found.

This title will then appear in various places around the web, including the tab in your web browser:

Title Tag Web Browser Example Title Tag Web Browser Example

When readers share your content on other websites and social media channels, the title is often the anchor text.

Your title tag can be seen as the big blue link in search engine results:

Where do I add the meta title tag?

You can use a title tag in your head section to make your title show up. The tag should look something like this:

<head>

<title>Example Title</title>

<head>

However, in most CMS platforms, including WordPress, Squarespace, Wix and GoDaddy, users can add a title tag in their general settings or add a title tag to the ‘SEO title’ section if they use an SEO plug-in such as Yoast. Users can then preview how it will look in SERPs.

When you write the headline of your article, the section automatically becomes the title tag.

The title of your page is an opportunity to improve your SEO. Where necessary, you should use a plug-in or the HTML to override the generated title and instead use your main keyword.

The <h1> tag is another opportunity to tell Google about the content of your page with a slightly different string, so take advantage of that.

Title tag checklist

Kristine Schachinger's post on writing optimised title tags is a perfect primer. Here's what you need:

  • Length: The perfect title tag should be 50-60 characters for best results.

  • Keyword placement: Your most important keywords should be in the first few words of your title tag, while your least important words should come last.

  • Brand name:If your company name is not a key phrase, put it at the end of your title tag.

  • Do not duplicate title tags: They must be written differently depending on the page, don’t just copy and paste your title tags. That can have a negative effect on your search visibility.

  • Make it relevant: Your title tags should accurately describe the content on your page.

  • Do not ‘keyword stuff’ title tags: Carelessly written title tags that try to rank for everything or repeat a word over and over are not just annoying, they can actually harm your site. Be smart about how you construct them and avoid anything that might get your blog penalised.

  • Make your headline (<h1> tag) different from the title tag: This is an opportunity to vary the keyword phrasing of your page and increase its chances of appearing for different search intent.

Why are title tags important?

A title tag is the boldest, most obvious element in a search result. It's pivotal in deciding whether or not a searcher will click on your result.

Are meta title tags used as a ranking signal?

Moz said that title tags are one of the most important on-page SEO elements, and the closer to the start of the title you put your keyword, the more likely it will be to rank for that keyword.

How to write a great title tag

From an SEO perspective, you should include all keywords you want to rank for in the title tag. The most important keyword should be first, followed by second-most of importance.

However, don’t start the title with a keyword or include more than two or three. This will cause your title to look spammy.

For example, if your blog post is about a complete guide to a certain topic, you should use a title like:

“The Complete Guide to [Topic]”

Moz provides this handy reference:

Primary Keyword – Secondary Keyword | Brand Name

Keep the content natural and human-friendly.

Can Google override your title tag?

Google has the power to rewrite your title tags in search engine results pages (SERPs). This rewrite will take information from your meta description and page content. The problem is that not all of this information will be written with SEO in mind. You must be sure that your title tags are accurate, relevant, readable, and keyword-rich.

Examples of good and bad title tags

“London Foot Clinic”

Keywords are at the front, the brand name is at the end and HJE has separated its keyword phrases with pipes |. Using pipes to separate your keywords isn’t a necessity but it does look nice in the SERP’s.

This example, on the other hand, isn’t go great. They have only their businesses name as their title tag. A better choice would have been Foot Clinic | Podiatry Specialists | Hunslow

“Nike Shoes”

Similarly, if we look for “nike shoes” we can find examples of both good and badly written title tags.

This one, from JC Penny is good. It contains their keywords and their brand name at the end.

Vs this one from 6pm which needs some work. It’s missing any keywords (for example, Nike Shoes or Running Shoes) containing only the word Nike and then their brand name (6pm).

Hopefully you now have a good idea of how to write meta titles! If you need any further help or SEO advice, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us and schedule a free, no-obligation consultation.