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In a world where improving a website’s overall SEO has become a main topic of conversation amongst web designers and marketers, looking for unique opportunities to boost your score is vital.  Page title optimization is one of the most commonly overlooked methods, but if you can identify all of the small ways to optimize, you will see a significant boost in your website’s score.

The title of your webpages is important for a variety of reasons. For one, a cleverly devised title tag is attractive and will draw the eye of your targeted audience. To take it further, however, a title tag that follows certain SEO standards tends to rank higher in search results. Today, we will be discussing what a page title (also known as a title tag) is and why it is important.

What is a Page Title/Title Tag?

Simply put, a page title represents a webpage in a search engine’s results. A page title should offer a complete and concise representation of the content that a user will find upon clicking on the title tag. As one of the most important components of a webpage’s optimization, a page title should include the primary keyword associated with that page.

When properly optimized, your website’s page title will assist search engines and users alike in determining your content’s relevance to a specific query. Without taking the necessary steps to optimize your page title, Googlebot will be unable to rank and present your content to the intended audience. As with any SEO optimization method, there are a number of ways that you can use your page title to boost your website’s overall SEO.

Where Are Page Titles Used?

A page title, or title tag, is typically found in two places: the search engine results and browser window. Though not as visible as other web page elements, a page title can be a very powerful tool in boosting your website’s SEO.

Search Engine Results Page (SERP)

After being indexed by a search engine, your page title will appear in blue and can be clicked to be directed to the website. Considering your page title acts as a headline for the content found on your page, it should be attractive to those who see it. Without an eye-catching title, users will be less likely to click on your content, and this is vital to ranking well in search engines.

Browser Window

Your content’s page title also appears in a browser’s tab once opened. As visitors open new tabs and navigate to different websites, it is important that your content can be easily recognized. Make sure you have optimized your title tag in a way that is simplistic and easy for visitors to remember. If this isn’t taken into consideration, users will be far less likely to revisit your content.

How to Write the Best Page Title

Now that you understand the importance of creating a good page title, you may be wondering how to write a page title in a way that benefits your website’s SEO. When writing a page title, it is important that you keep three main factors in mind: numbers, simplicity, and trigger words.

The best page titles grab a reader’s attention and give the impression that they can answer a user’s questions better than any other search result. Using trigger words like how, what, and why are great ways to give your audience an idea of what to expect from your content. Adjectives like best and ultimate do well in presenting your content as the most useful source of information, setting it apart from your competition.

Aside from crafting a page title that entices a user to click, there are a number of other SEO practices that you can use to optimize your page title. Let’s get in-depth with these valuable SEO optimization methods so that you can create a winning page title that ranks number one!

Use SEO Keywords Sparingly

One of the most common mistakes that new digital marketers make when promoting their content is using too many SEO keywords too frequently. While it is vital that your page title contains the primary keywords that you want your content to rank for, these should be used wisely.

Keyword stuffing, defined as the use of an unreasonable amount of keywords in order to manipulate the ranking of a webpage, isn’t a practice that you want to get into when creating a page title. Not only does stuffing an unnatural amount of keywords into your page title come off as manipulative, but it also gives users the impression that your content isn’t created with their interests in mind.

For this reason, it is recommended that you use your chosen SEO keywords only where appropriate and in a natural way. When all is said and done, your audience will be much more likely to click on your page title if it seems genuine and helpful.

Keep Page Title Length in Mind

When a page title is too long, it won’t be displayed in its entirety on a search engine’s results page. Depending on where your keywords are placed within the page title, this can cause your primary keywords to be hidden. It is recommended to keep a page title’s length at somewhere around 60 characters in length.

It is also important to avoid characters in all caps, as they tend to take up a much larger amount of space than lowercase characters. Compose the length of your page title with your targeted audience in mind. If you were searching for the content that your webpage provides, what title would you be most likely to click on? More likely than not, a simple, fully visible page title is the one that you would select.

Use the Right Keyword Placement

While it is important to keep your page title at a reasonable length, you can double down on your efforts to have your primary keywords appear in search results by placing them at the beginning of your page title. This not only ensures that users will be able to see these keywords if your page title gets cut short by a search engine, but it also places the keyword most directly in the eyes of your audience.

Research focused around user experience reports that most people scan only the first two words of a page title before moving on to the next search result. Keeping this valuable finding in mind, it is clear that placing your keywords at the start of your page title is important. 

Put Branding Last

Considering the fact that keyword relevance is measured according to placement in the title tag, it is important to place any branding keywords at the end of your page title. This ensures that you aren’t taking up valuable space with your company’s name.

Generating brand awareness is important, but there are far better ways to create awareness around your brand than using a title tag. It is highly recommended that your website’s homepage include your company’s name, but other web pages are unlikely to benefit. If you feel it is necessary to include your brand within the page title, always make sure it is placed at the end.