OWolf

2024-09-09 web, development, javascript

How To Optimize Page Titles for SEO

By O. Wolfson

Have you considered how your page title impacts SEO? A page title is the descriptive title of an individual web site page. The page title informs potential readers as to what your article is about. Page titles are also used by search engines to categorize your page for ranking purposes. The title is an important part of your SEO checklist, so you should fine-tune it. A 'title tag' is the HTML element that contains the page title (more on this later in the article).

The page title will appear as the label in the tab of your browser window.

page title

The page title is the text for the clickable link on a SERP (search engine results page).

page title
Page title on a SERP.

Tips For Writing Page Titles:

  • Keep page titles about 50-60 characters long. Your browser and google will allow for about 70 characters max.

  • Write unique page titles. Duplicate page titles can be detrimental to SEO.

  • Write simple and clear page titles.

  • Use target keywords in your page titles. Your page title should contain keyword phrases that people are searching for.

  • Use descriptive tags that inform the user about what can be found on the web page.

  • Use words like HOW, WHY, WHAT, and WHERE to signify what type of information is offered, or words like BEST, REVIEW, and ULTIMATE to entice users to visit the page.

What Are Title Tags?

You might also hear this subject referred to as 'title tag' optimization.

In an HTML document, the title tag is located in the document's <head> </head> section. The title tag's content is your page title.

<head>
  <title>How To Optimize Page Titles for SEO</title>
</head>

The title tag.

Exactly how you access or modify the title tag will depend on which tech stack or page builder you are using to create your site. If you are building a page from raw HTML you'd change the title tag directly in the page's head section. If you are using a JavaScript, or other, framework there is likely a component that will enable you to inject the title tag into the HTML head dynamically. If you are using a content management system, like WordPress, the title will likely be a customizable field in your page or post content admin interface.


Conclusion: The page title is a relatively easy and often overlooked opportunity to upgrade SEO. Take advantage of the tips above to optimize your page titles.