Many content writers and developers will be familiar with this term. It’s an essential part of any content created for online viewing. Without a title tag, the public wouldn’t be able to view many of the writers’ excellent pieces of written information as it would be lost in the worldwide web’s vast ocean.
The clever use of these heading-like phrases would ensure that the intended target group sees the content. That’s essentially why creators of content write their articles or information pieces. The humble title tag attracts readers and viewers to a web page without them even being aware of the title tag’s massive role in getting them there.
What Is A Title Tag?
The Title Tag is an HTML element that indicates the title of a web page. It’s the most important type of Meta Tag because it has a direct impact on search rankings. It’s made up of text that, when displayed in the SERPs, can be clicked on to get results.
Why Are Title Tags Important?
They are the most important type of Meta Tags because they help tell search engines and users what a web page is about.
The use of an <title>element plays a key role in the following aspects:</title>
Search engine results pages
In most cases, Title Tags show users and search engines what the title of a page is in the SERPs.
In SEO, it is important to optimize this Meta tag because being the first thing people see on a web page, it can be a decisive factor when they click on your link.
Because first impressions are lasting, the content creators will use various SEO title testing methods to ensure that their title tags grab the attention of readers searching for that subject. Title testing is a rigorous process that often demands perfection, and it’s easy to understand why.
Anyone searching on the internet will have a specific topic in mind and get frustrated if they can’t find the content that they’re looking for. Of course, there can be millions of websites with similar topics, and having an optimal title tag would elevate one piece above another.
Web browsers
In the case of web browsers, Title Tags are important because they are displayed at the top of the browser specifying a title of a web page.
This makes them serve as placeholders as well as to give a title to the page when the link is bookmarked in the browser. In these cases, the use of prominent keywords within the Title Tags is recommended to make the content of the associated pages memorable to users.
Social networks
In the case of social networks and other external websites, title tags, are used and displayed when sharing content. Sites such as Twitter and Facebook have their own Meta tags and as they can be different from the main title, they can be optimized to benefit the image of the product or service.
Tips To Write A Good Title Tag
Take care of the length of the title
It is necessary to avoid using a very long title because search engines can shorten it, preventing the complete message from being transmitted to visitors. For example, in the case of Google, this search engine does it if it exceeds 60 characters approximately (everything will depend on the amount of pixels).
It is worth mentioning that longer titles can be used to share information in the case of social networks.
Take care of the number of SEO keywords
Do not exaggerate the number of keywords to use in the meta title because this can create confusion in the visitors and create a bad experience. The preferred length for any title tag ranges between ten and sixty characters (including the spaces between them). Although it’s in this set range, some may still add more characters to their title tags. All this causes the search engine to ignore any redundancy after that set amount.
Make the Meta Title of each page unique
Creating unique meta titles helps to increase the amount of clicks while it helps search engines understand that the content is valuable and exclusive. It is recommended to avoid generic titles that could be considered duplicate content by search engines.
Position of Keywords
It is suggested to place keywords as close as possible to the beginning of a title tag to create a greater impression in search rankings,
Image or brand
If the website has a recognized image or brand, this advantage should be taken advantage of by incorporating it in the Meta titles to increase clicks. It can be placed at the end or at the beginning of the title, but in most cases, it is advisable to do it at the end of it.
Personalize
In addition to the optimization and use of keywords, it is recommended to positively focus the text of the meta title to visitors for whom your content is relevant so that they feel identified and click on it.
When Does Google Change The Title Tag Of A Webpage?
Sometimes it can happen that Google shows a title different from your title tag; if this is the case, you can follow the following tips:
- A title containing too many keywords
When Google detects that the title is over-optimized, it automatically rewrites it; in this case, it is suggested that webmasters do it again, making it more useful for users.
- A title that does not match the query
This happens when Google changes the meta title because it considers that it does not apply to a search’s keywords. However, if the title has been changed for desirable searches, it is suggested to rewrite it to better match it.
- Alternative title
Google may choose alternative titles created for another purpose (e.g., Facebook, Twitter) and place them as the meta title of a web page; if this change is not beneficial, then the text can be rewritten.
- Old DMOZ list
These cases are very rare, but sometimes it can happen that Google changes the display title of a web page to the one that appears in DMOZ (Open Directory Project). If this is the case, you can block this action with the Robots NOODP tag.
<meta name=”robots” content=”noodp”>
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