How to Create the Perfect Page Title for SEO

What is in a page title

It turns out that quite a bit. Your page titles are not only a way to tell the world about your page, but they also play a crucial role in whether people actually visit it.

Page titles are more than just a description of the content of your page. These titles should be written with your audience in view and optimized for search engines to index and find your pages. They must also be engaging enough to draw people's attention to the crowded search engine result pages.

It's okay if that sounds overwhelming. It's all about understanding the rules when it comes to SEO page titles. The good news is that they are not complicated.

This article will give you an overview of why page titles are important for your SEO efforts. Next, we'll show you 7 ways to quickly create SEO-boosting titles.

Quick Take-Aways

• Search engines can use page titles to tell them what pages are about, so that they can index and rank them in SERPs.

• The page titles determine whether or not users click through to your site.

• When writing page titles, it is important to be clear and compelling.

• Your focus keyword should be included in page titles.

• Google will remove titles after 60 characters. It is important to keep page titles short.

• Search engines should be used second, but humans should always create page titles.

What is the deal with page titles?

The page title, also known as your “seo title” (or “title tag”), is an important part on-page SEO. It tells search engine crawlers about the content of your page. It is well-known that page titles are a key Google ranking factor in determining your rank on search engine result pages (SERPS).

Google page titles (or meta descriptions) are the text you see above the meta description when you search for something on Google.

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Your page title will also be visible on browser tabs and social media (when it is shared).

The real question is, why are page titles so important to you?

Let's start by referring to search engines. Search engine crawlers can tell what page titles are about by looking at page titles. Search engines won't be able to index, rank, or find your content without this information. Your content is almost invisible without SERP rankings, since 93% of online experiences start with a search engine.

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When people search for pages, their page titles are what catch their attention. It is the key to whether they click on your site or not.

Page titles shouldn't be overlooked. We'll be discussing X methods to create page titles that are SEO-friendly in the next section.

SEO page titles: How to create the perfect title

Be specific

What's the purpose of your web page?

This question should be asked when creating your page title. Consider the purpose of your page for your audience. The page title should communicate this purpose clearly so users can find it and click on it to get what they are looking for.

Do not try to accomplish too many things on one page. This can lead to confusion about the purpose of your webpage. It is a good rule to remember: If you have to use “and”, to include multiple topics within your page title, it might be worth creating two separate pages.

Be compelling

Your page title will decide whether potential customers click through to your site. Consider whether the title is compelling enough to be read by its intended audience when creating titles.

These are some tips to help you create captivating titles.

• Include your value proposition. Also, explain to the user what they will get by clicking through to your site.

• Ask a question. This generates curiosity and encourages users click to find the answer.

• Use numbers. It works. Research has proven it. It is easier to convince people with “7 Tips for Writing a Great Blog Post” than “Tips for Writing a Great Blog Post”.

• Use strong language Use adjectives to evoke emotion. We have three types of blogs readers hate (we just made that title up but the “hate” is a great attention grabber).

Make every page unique

Each page of your website should have a specific purpose. Your website will be easier to navigate if they serve a unique purpose. This avoids traffic cannibalization which is when multiple pages on a domain rank for the same keyword.

Sometimes, this is not possible. Marketing Insider Group has many blog posts on SEO and ranking for SEO. It is important to be aware of possible cannibalization, and to ensure that the right users get to the correct pages.

You should be more cautious when it comes to your main websites pages. Users should be directed to the page that answers their question and guides them to take the next step in the customer journey.

Use keywords

This is a simple one: Does your page title include your key phrase? Change it! In your page title, include your focus keyword.

Use your brand name with care

This one is tricky. Your brand name can help increase brand awareness and attract people to your website. It can be a bit tacky to include your brand name on every title, rather than relying solely on your compelling content.

Here are my recommendations:

Include your brand name on homepages. Your brand name should be included on these pages. Here's an example from MIG: Search results for our “about” page include our brand name.

The same applies to product and service pages. Although you will want to emphasize the service or product first, your brand name may be possible. Below is an example of how MIG accomplished this for our SEO Blog Writing Service Page.

Your brand name should not be included in the page title for your blog or other marketing content. These cases are where users are searching for solutions and answers, not companies. Instead of adding your brand's name to your blog title, create a compelling blog title that lets your content speak for themselves. Example:

Pay attention to length

Google expects page titles to be short and concise. They will cut you off at 60 characters. While it may be tempting to include everything in your title — remember our first two tips: be specific and compelling. And don't leave the users guessing.

You can edit your page titles until you are certain that the title (or almost all) will appear in SERPs. Many content management systems offer a preview function that allows you to check your work before you publish.

First, write for people

Search engines are funny because we rely on them to rank and find our content. But we shouldn't actually write for them.

That's right. Search engine optimization can have a negative effect on your SEO results. Do not keyword stuff or try to please Google by trying to do too much.

Instead, place emphasis on the value of your audience. You should still follow the best SEO practices. Google wants page titles and pages that provide high value to users. Guess what? It's easy for them to see. Google uses AI technology and increasingly complex algorithms to recognize page titles that are valuable to the people using their platform.

Remember to put people first. Your content's success is dependent on its value. After you have it, start to address SEO.

More to you

Great page titles can increase the ROI of your content marketing efforts. But only if you have great material. Marketing Insider Group's SEO and writers can provide you with optimized content that is ready to publish every week for a whole year.

To learn more, visit our SEO Blog Writing Service.