Google Title Tags

Many elements make up a successful search engine optimization (SEO). One of them includes title tags, which are considered the second most important factor for on-page SEO after content.

Although it may seem like a small component, optimizing your Google title tag has an enormous impact on your SEO strategy. It is often the first thing that users see in search engine results and a deciding factor whether or not they should click on your website.

Read on to find out how to create title tags for your Google SEO efforts and the best practices to ensure that they are optimized for both readers and crawlers.

What Is a Title Tag?

A title tag, also called page title or SEO title, relays your website’s title and content to various search engines. They often appear as part of the snippet with the URL and meta description when looking something up on the Google search engine.

Page title tags give people an idea of what information to find on your website when they click the link. Google also uses these titles to determine the topic of a website page and its relevance as a result of a search query.

What Does the Title Tag Do?

The primary function of your SEO title tag is to make users click on the link, visit your page to read your content, and take action. If your title tags are not good enough, users will skip them and go to other results instead.

Google search title tags can also help you rank for a specific keyword. There are various ranking signals used by Google to determine how relevant you are for a keyword.

Initially, you may find yourself at the bottom of the search results, but once Google notices that many people click on your title, your rankings may improve over time. In contrast, your ranking may also deteriorate if no one is clicking on your page.

Although page title has a direct influence on ranking, you should not only be concerned about getting many clicks. It is also important that the page title reflects the topic and content found on your page, including the keywords that you’re trying to rank for.

How To Add Title Tags to a Website

Adding a meta title tag to most web pages is easy. If you look at the HTML code of your page (right-click on the page and go to View Page Source), you will find a title in the head section. Simply insert your tag between the opening and closing <head> tags.

Here’s how to use the title tag in HTML:

<head>

<title>Enter your title here – Nameofyourwebsite.com</title>

</head>

How To Add Title Tag in WordPress

By default, WordPress will set your title tag to be the same thing as your headline or post title. While this can save you time, creating a unique title tag is better for optimization and ensures a higher click-through rate.

You can install an SEO plugin, like Yoast SEO, to get started. When you click on the “Edit Snippet” button, it will open some input fields that let you put a custom title tag on WordPress.

Does Google Use Title Tags?

It is common for Google not to always use your page titles. It decides how to display your web page title tag in the search results and makes a few adjustments.

Google does this to deliver the most relevant results possible for any given search query. However, there are some recent changes in how it generates title tags.

Google has started using other relevant elements on your webpage to decide what title to display in the search results. Despite this update, you don’t need to change anything.

The Google title tag you set is still most likely used, helping you rank for a particular keyword. In addition, the changes will not directly affect your page rankings.

How To Write Title Tags for SEO

Below are some of the best practices to ensure a well-optimized SEO title tag.

Include the Main Keyword

Since keywords are a critical on-page SEO factor, they should be included in your title tags. This allows people and search engines to understand what your page is about.

Your keywords should be descriptive and organic. If you want to get the best results, try to place the main keyword close to the beginning as much as possible. In some cases, it’s also okay if they appear towards the end.

Although you may want to rank for many relevant keywords, be careful not to overdo it. Google can change your page title if it recognizes that you are “keyword stuffing” or placing different variations of a keyword.

Keep Your Title Tags Relevant

When writing your SEO title tag, consider the intent of the searchers. Make sure that your titles are relevant to your content, so people can easily find what they are looking for.

Google’s main goal is to fulfill the intent of any search query. If it doesn’t consider your title tag relevant, Google will pick something different than what you originally used.

Check the Google Title Tag Limit

For better optimization, make sure that your title tag length in Google is between 50 to 60 characters. If your title is longer than that, Google will cut it off in the middle.

Readers and search engines should be able to see the entire title tag, so they’ll know what your web page is about. You can use Google’s Title Tag Preview Tool to check how your title tag will appear in Google search results.

Add Your Brand Name

The Google title tag should feature your brand in a recognizable way. It helps convince people that your website is trustworthy, reputable, and provides authoritative information.

On most pages, you can add your brand towards the end of the title tag. If you skip this step, Google will most likely change the title for you.

Make Your Google Title Tag Unique

According to Google, you should have distinct, descriptive titles for each page on your website. Having duplicate title tags can confuse search engines as they will not know which version to show, thus affecting your traffic.

You may also consider using a different title tag than your headline (H1) to help you target various keywords.

Conclusion

Overall, optimizing your Google title tag is one of the best ways to improve your SEO rankings. This not only increases your credibility on the search engine — it also increases your click rate! Be sure to follow the best practices listed above to receive the most beneficial results from your Google title tags.