What Is a Title Tag? Explanation and Best Practices

A title tag may be what causes your ideal customer to click on a link to your website — or skip over it. What is a title tag, and why does it matter for search engine optimization (SEO)?

Google specifically mentions title tags as a ranking factor, so they must be important. Find out why you need to prioritize title tags in SEO and how to make yours better.

What Is a Title Tag? 

A title tag is a part of your webpage’s HTML code that gives search engines and web browsers a title for the page. You may also see it written as <title> tag.

Google typically uses the title tag you provide as a clickable headline on search engine results pages (SERPs). Usually, it’s in blue letters on the third line of each result, just below the page’s URL. The title tag also appears in browser tabs to let you easily know what pages you have open.

However, a title tag is not your page header or H1. This header is in large print at the top of the page and can be different from the title tag. 

What Is a Meta Title?

“Meta title” is what some people say instead of “title tag.” While “meta title” isn’t technically accurate, it’s become so widely used that it’s here to stay — much like the debated pronunciation of “GIF.” You might also hear a title tag be referred to as an “SEO title” or “SEO page title.”

What Are Examples of Title Tags?

A title tag is often shorter than the page header, serving as a slight variation that carries the same idea. Many companies include their brand name in a title tag, separating it from the article theme with a pipe symbol ( | ) or a dash. However, the title tag and article title may be practically identical, especially for short titles.

You can look right on our site to see examples of how title tags vary from the headlines:

Each longer theme becomes shorter in the title tag but still includes the essential keyword and leaves room for our company name.

Why Are Title Tags Important?

Title tags are important for SEO because they can attract traffic to a page. They also help search engines understand, categorize, and rank your site.

Draw in Readers

For each result on a SERP, Google typically displays a logo next to the site’s name and the page URL. Under that sits the title tag in larger text, which is what the user will likely see first and want to click on. 

The title tag is the first indication of what your page is about and can motivate someone to click or move on down the list. Therefore, title tags are an important part of your marketing and branding. An engaging title or one that promises to provide just what a person is looking for gets clicks, unlike generic or confusing title tags.

Also, that title tag shows up in the search browsers tab. On average, people keep 5-10 browser tabs open when they’re online. While researching options, many may initially open multiple tabs in another window and then peruse each one. To ensure they look at your page, create a captivating title tag. 

Often, a title tag is also featured in link previews. These are when an app displays a popup when you hover over a URL or a hyperlink within text. The popup shows the title tag and the featured image from the webpage. Encourage more clicks with a well-chosen title tag. 

Boost Your SERP Rankings

SEO is also about making it easy for search engine bots to understand what your page is about as they crawl your site. This helps them to put your page in relevant search results, another important factor for getting clicks. 

If your title tag seems irrelevant, inaccurate, or spammy, Google may create its own title tag. Letting the search engine do this for you is a missed opportunity because it’s more likely to make something generic that blends in with your competitors rather than crafting an attention-grabbing headline. Well-written, strategic title tags equal higher rankings.

How Do You Write Title Tags Correctly?

Keep these points in mind whenever you have to write a page’s title tag.

Keep It Short

A title tag is usually best at 40-60 characters, including spaces. Use anything longer, and the browser or popup will chop off the end. If you look at our examples above, you’ll see that each one is less than 60 characters. 

Make Each One Unique

Don’t repeat title tags for similar pages. Just as each piece of content should bring distinct value to the audience, highlight the purpose of the page in a succinct and accurate tag. 

Focus on Only One Keyword

Trying to stuff keywords into a short tag is spammy and hurts your rankings. Besides, Google expects all of your content to sound natural and be people-first. In other words, it should be written to benefit readers, not just to game the algorithm. 

You can usually only use the primary keyword in the title tag and still provide sufficient context for the theme. Because title tags are short and you need to show your relevance quickly, try to lead with keywords whenever possible.

Check Out What Top-Ranking Sites Are Doing

A central aspect of SEO is learning from your competitors. Type your target keyword into Google and see what title tags are showing up. 

• Do top-ranking title tags use certain action words? 
• Do they include a year or time-specific phrase? 
• Are most listicles? 

Use your findings to craft title tags that meet your audience’s preferences.

Ready To Optimize Your Title Tags for Better SEO?

Title tags, or meta titles, are such a small thing, but they can have a real impact on your online visibility. Make sure your title tags and the rest of your content are the best they can be with our SEO experts at BKA Content. 

Contact us today, and we’ll help you audit your site to see what title tag improvements you can make. We’ll also help you create world-class content going forward.