How to write a SEO page title and why
The SEO page title plays a key role in SEO optimisation. Read on to find out how to write the very best SEO page titles for your web pages.
This part of our SEO guide discusses the best ways to improve your on-page SEO. For all the best techniques to help your page to rank, check out the previous chapter. Here, we’re going to focus on the role of the SEO page title and how you can write the very best titles to help your ranking. Use these tips to improve your current SEO titles and when creating new pages.
Why are SEO page titles so important?
The SEO page title plays a key role in your SEO strategy in three ways:
- The page title helps users identify what the page is about and if it fits their needs.
- Search engines will read the title to understand what the page is about. This means it will decide where you should rank.
- The SEO page title will also be displayed in the tab at the top of the web browser and will be shown on social media if it is posted or shared on one of these platforms.
It performs a vital role and you should always take the time to ensure that you have the very best SEO titles for every web page.
How to write SEO page titles for top SEO optimisation
If you want to make sure that you’re writing the best SEO page title every time, follow the steps below. If you install the free Yoast plugin for your website, it will advise whether your SEO title is good enough. This can be a huge help and it allows you to double check that you’re creating the very best SEO optimised title.
Make it the right length
Although there is no official limit to the length of a title, you need to be SEO-savvy about the length. Ideally, a title should be no more than 70 characters. Let’s look at two SEO page titles. One is under 70 characters and one is over 70 characters.
In this example, the title is over 60 characters and gets cut off, so we can’t see the whole title. It’s also worth noting that the meta description is too long and it also gets cut off.
In this example, you can see the whole SEO page title and the meta description offers a clear and concise summary of what the page is about.
Where possible, include a keyword
SEO optimisation means strategically placing keywords in the content for search engines to read and understand. Wherever you can, always try to put a keyword in the SEO title, preferably nearer the beginning of the title. Many businesses also choose to have their brand in the title, such as in the Exposure Ninja example above.
At the same time, you don’t want to stuff your title with keywords so that it’s too long or simply doesn’t make sense. Keyword stuffing into titles is not attractive to users or search engines. Avoid at all costs!
Keep it relevant to your content
We’ve all seen those clickbait titles on social media which often turn out to be not quite as exciting as the title promises. These articles make people click off the page almost immediately. If it’s not what people wanted, they will leave and view your website as untrustworthy. You need to make sure that your title is accurate to what the page is about. Remember: get people to the information they want as easily as possible
Don’t let your SEO page titles stress you out! Claim your free marketing review from Exposure Ninja. You can expert personalised guidance about how to improve your SEO strategy and get kick-ass results.
