As someone who works in the realm of digital marketing, you understand that for SEO (search engine optimization) to work, it requires paying attention to hundreds (or more) of ranking factors. You must also consider different technical requirements while avoiding the “black hat” techniques.
With so much to focus on and consider, it is easy to let some ranking factors slip by. Unfortunately, this can cripple your entire digital marketing strategy, and your clients’ sites will suffer.
One SEO element you can’t forget is the title tags.
Title tags are extremely valuable to any SEO strategy and may even fall under the umbrella of a “technical requirement.” If you aren’t sure if your strategy is providing the desired results for your clients, it may be time to learn what works and what doesn’t.
Here you can find all the title tag-related information you need to ensure your clients’ sites excel when it comes to this element.
Ready to learn more? If so, let’s dive in!
Title Tags Defined
The title tag is a type of meta tag. It is a type of information about a specific webpage found in the document’s HTML code. Information that is found in the HTML, but not on the webpage, is called “metadata.” It is viewed by bots, such as Google’s web crawlers.
Google uses bots to evaluate a page’s title tags and other types of meta elements. The goal of this is to determine the page’s purpose, the content it contains, and how (and where) it should rank in SERPs (search engine results pages).
The title tags need to function as descriptive titles for the page they are on. They should concisely capture the intentions and purpose of the page they are representing.
Also, title tags are seen as blue text in SERPs. If you search for something, you are looking at a list of title tags.
Now that you know what they are, let’s dive into how to improve them and ensure they work for your clients.
Creating the Perfect Title Tag
Just like with the other elements of SEO, your title tags require achieving a careful balance of optimizing for real users and optimizing for search engine bots.
On the technical side of things, you need to select words and structures that are appealing to search engine algorithms. When this is achieved, your clients’ pages will be much more likely to rank well.
However, it is also necessary to optimize for searchers. The title tags need to be valuable and descriptive. If they aren’t, then searchers will not click the link – no matter how high it is ranking.
There are certain qualities that all title tags should have, which include the following:
1. Descriptive Content
It is necessary to ensure that the title tag accurately describes the page’s content. It is tempting to stuff the title with keywords to help increase the possibility of ranking well; however, this will be a bad choice from both the consumer and algorithmic perspective. A better option is to be clear and straightforward. Be sure to set the proper expectations for what people will learn or find on the page.
2. The Right Length
In the past, title tags could be 70 characters. However, having a title tag of just 50 to 60 characters is best today. If the title tag contains over 60 characters, there is the risk that the title will be cut off when it is shown in the SERPs.
If the title tag is less than 50 characters, it won’t leverage all the available space. While this is true, it is not a huge deal to be out of these parameters slightly; however, it is a good idea to preview the title tag to see how it will appear in SERPs before publishing it.
3. Keyword Optimization without Keyword Stuffing
Keywords are still a huge part of SEO. However, they are not as important as they were in the past. This is all thanks to Google’s semantic search and machine learning use.
Today, the context of the words used is as important as the actual words that are used. While this is true, using a target keyword or phrase (or a few) in the title tag is smart. This can help increase the possibility that the page will rank well for that term.
4. Originality
Duplicate title tags are not a good idea. It is not smart to choose title tags that are competing, either. For site pages that have similar title tags, Google may flag them. It can also provide a poor user experience. Besides that, if multiple pages compete for the same or similar keywords, there could be a keyword cannibalization issue, limiting the site’s full potential.
5. Natural Language
Be sure the title tag includes natural language. It should be written in a simple manner for native speakers to understand. It should also be comprehensible by anyone who lands on the page.
The title tag will seem spammy if it is stuffed with unrelated keywords. It may also hurt the page’s ranking.
6. Numbers
This is something that humans just cannot help. As a species, we are attracted to numbers.
This is one reason that numbers in title tags can be helpful. Using a number in the title tag will help to set it apart from the other listings in the SERP. It will also help the page get more clicks. However, this is not a factor that will greatly impact the page’s rank in SERPs.
Improving Title Tags for Your Clients’ Websites
As you can see, title tags are a huge part of quality SEO. It is important to ensure that this part of a marketing strategy is right and effective.
Consider our white-glove SEO solutions to help establish the right SEO element for all your clients. At Outsource My SEO, we can handle this element on behalf of your company while you focus on other aspects of customer and client satisfaction. Contact us today to learn more.