How To Improve Your Title Tag

What Is A Title Tag?

The title tag is an HTML tag that exists in the head section of each webpage. It provides an initial cue or context as to the topical subject matter of the page it is on.

The title tag features prominently on search engine results pages (SERPs) as it is typically used as the clickable link and also appears in the browser window.

Other than in these two places, the title tag isn’t as visible as other on-page web content (e.g., body copy, image content, and other aspects). For that reason, the title tag can sometimes be overlooked.

On its own, the title tag has little impact on organic rankings. No single ranking factor is magical or powerful – especially if your content is low-quality or you’ve neglected technical SEO.

Here are eight important aspects to consider when optimizing your title tags for search.

The <title> tag defines the title of the document. The title must be text-only, and it is shown in the browser’s title bar or in the page’s tab.

The <title> tag is required in HTML documents!

1. The Page’s Context Within The Site

Before you can write an optimized title tag, you need to know where the page fits into the overall hierarchy of the website.

A home page title tag is going to be much different than a blog post or product page.

Each page deeper you get into the site, the more specific you can and should be.

You can repeat words and phrases but should be more detailed each step down into the site you go. Have a plan so that title tags aren’t duplicated on any pages (more on that below).

Here’s an ecommerce example of title tags at different levels of the site that have appropriate context:

• Home Page: Groomsmen gifts and unique men’s gifts by The Man Registry.
• Product Category Page: BBQ sets and utensil gifts for groomsmen by The Man Registry.
• Product Page: 5-Piece Customized BBQ utensil set by The Man Registry.

2. Searcher Intent Keyword Use

Knowing what your audience is searching for and how they are searching is critical for title tag optimization.

If you don’t know what words and phrases people are using when they are searching, then you’re at risk of guessing wrong.

Don’t skip keyword research or ignore it when you are optimizing title tags.

Find balance, use terms consistently, and write in a way that reads naturally to your audience.

Your goal for an optimized title tag is to match the wording that you use with what is being searched for as long as the perceived intent is the focus of the content of the page.

3. Topical Relevance Within The Page

The next step in understanding where the page fits in the hierarchy of the website overall is to evaluate the content on the page.

The title tag is most impactful for search engines and users when it introduces the topic of the page and the same important keywords are used in body copy, image alt attribute, the meta description, URL, and other aspects of the page.

You should use words in the title tag that are also used in other parts of the page to tie the topic together.

4. Unique Tags

Duplicate title tags are not helpful to searchers or search engines.

If you have duplicate tags, you’ll see them in Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools reports. Often, you’ll find that the search engines have chosen to ignore your title tag and use other content it found on your page for the blue link text in the SERP.

This is especially true for widespread issues of missing or duplicate title tags.

When multiple pages have the same tag, those tags are useless to the search engine if they are very generic or just list the name of the company or organization. Examples include when the entire site has the exact same title tag that is simply the domain name or company name.

If you have duplicate tags within your site, add writing custom tags to your SEO action plan.

5. Use Dynamic Options When Possible

If you have a large website or one that features a large amount of dynamic data – like an ecommerce website – finding ways to semantically code your tags is essential.

Most content management systems and website platforms will automatically generate the title tag. 

An example of a dynamic structure could include some standard text in all product page tags but with the specific name of the product populated from the database.

For example, it could be “[product_name] groomsmen gifts from The Man Registry.” The bracketed “product_name” would be a variable that would populate that part of the title with the actual product name in the database.

In this case, you wouldn’t have to manually write all product title tags and can ensure they are unique. For cases where you have the same products with variations or attributes such as different colors, you can also look at ways to add more variables from the database.

A quick word of caution: Despite the convenience and scaling you can do using dynamic tags, you can also do a lot of damage quickly. Be sure to audit your tags initially and at regular intervals to make sure database and coding implementations are still rendering the tags you intend.

6. Call To Action In SERP

Remember that the title tag will be shown as the text in the blue link on the SERPs.

Your focus must be on answering the question, need, or desire of the searcher. Give the searcher a reason to click on the link that aligns with your content, goals, and what they’re seeking.

Having a clear vision of what your page is about and what the desired outcome is for both you and your visitor is critical.

When writing your title tag, keep in mind that the tag is truncated by Google at around 70 characters. The user won’t see any word past that character count.

Get your important words and phrases in there. Be concise, be direct, and prioritize important words to appear as early in your title tags as possible.

For example, you might have the average sounding home page title tag of: “Groomsmen gifts and unique men’s gifts by The Man Registry.”

7. Don’t Try Too Hard

Avoid repetitive and spammy-looking titles.

Resist the temptation to overdo it with your title tag.

The search engines are focused on context – not literal keyword use, frequency, and density.

Pick words that are clearly relevant to the topic of the page and searcher intent.

You can use longer form areas of the page to elaborate and build on that context.

An example of a dangerous title tag would be: “Groomsmen gifts, Groomsman Gifts, Gifts for Men, Unique Gifts.”

Overplaying and repeating words does not appear spam to Google but to searchers, as well.

8. Keep The Title Tag’s Impact In Perspective

Don’t overemphasize the importance or impact of the title tag alone.

In many cases, title tag optimization is just the start or an entry point. Until you are at the top of the SERPs, it probably doesn’t make sense to hyperfocus on small adjustments and obsess over minor changes in the language used to see how they impact rankings one position at a time.