Title Tags
This is not what you see at the top
of a web page. It is code behind the scenes that is
not visible in the page itself - it is the page
title that shows in the top of the window of the
browser. It is also what shows up as the name of the
page when you bookmark it.
The title tag is arguably the number two SEO tactic
as far as how much of an effect it can have, and how
much attention the search engines pay to it. Just
adjusting a title tag can have a profound affect on
search engine ranking, and what kind of traffic you
get. It is pretty much assumed by most SEO experts
that the vast majority of search engines do pay a
great deal of attention to the title tag. It is the
first indicator to the search engine, of what your
site is about.
At the very least, you want a
title tag that states the most important aspect of
your site. Keep them short and to the point though,
because long title tags are not only a no-no for SEO,
they look really stupid to people too! Remember,
that title bar in the browser is not all that long,
and the browser uses some of it for itself, so a 3-7
word statement is about all you have room for!
Longer ones do NOT accomplish more.
Use some keywords in the title,
but keep them relevant and concise. Generally, 1-2
keywords or phrases is right for a title. Just pick
the most important keywords for your site, and work
them into a statement that makes sense.
Your title should read smoothly.
It should be a nice, comfortable, informative title.
You are, again, writing it FIRST for people, and
SECOND for search engines. If a stranger can read it
and easily understand what your site is about, FAST,
then you got it right!
A title should describe the site
contents well. If you have to choose between your
business name and a meaningful description, choose
the description, because it will mean something to
both the search engine, and the person who reads it.
If you are trying to create branding, then use your
business name, followed by a SHORT description, such
as "Firelight Web Studio - Truly different, Truly
effective web design". And that is about the maximum
length that a title should be!
Do not leave the title as
"untitled". That helps no one. And do not name the
page inaccurately, or use a title that is misleading
- that is considered black hat. Never put a keyword
list in a title, and do not repeat words.
<head>
<title>Simple Search Engine Optimization that Really
WORKS</title>
<meta name="GENERATOR" content="Namo WebEditor">
<meta name="description" content="Simple and
Effective Search Engine Optimization Tactics">
<meta name="keywords" content="seo, search engine
optimization, pagerank, duplicate content, sandbox">
<link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="style.css">
</head>
I usually create a site with the
metatags, title tag, and alt tags for site-wide
images in place. Then I replicate the site, and go
in and customize the title and metatags for the
individual page. Sometimes I don't have time to do
that until months later though. The advantage to
putting the title into the template is that at least
the pages have something relevant in there, even if
it isn't the best option.
Choosing the title for a home page
can be difficult because you may have many different
things you are doing. Just pick the ONE most
important thing to emphasize.
See, when the search engines index
your site, they are going to dive in deeper each
time. Your other pages will get indexed in their own
right. Your home page is NOT where the majority of
your site visitors will come in from. So if you
optimize the home page for one thing, the rest of
the things you do will be found through their
individual pages. Try to do too many things on your
home page though, and it will get lost in the
shuffle. We tend to think of the home page as the
most important page, but in reality, it isn't much
of the time.
This is especially important with
the title. Just get the most important thing in
there, and save the specifics for the interior
pages. Your site will do better that way, and this
is a proven fact.
The title tag is arguably the number two SEO tactic as far as how much of an effect it can have, and how much attention the search engines pay to it. Just adjusting a title tag can have a profound affect on search engine ranking, and what kind of traffic you get. It is pretty much assumed by most SEO experts that the vast majority of search engines do pay a great deal of attention to the title tag. It is the first indicator to the search engine, of what your site is about.
At the very least, you want a title tag that states the most important aspect of your site. Keep them short and to the point though, because long title tags are not only a no-no for SEO, they look really stupid to people too! Remember, that title bar in the browser is not all that long, and the browser uses some of it for itself, so a 3-7 word statement is about all you have room for! Longer ones do NOT accomplish more.
Use some keywords in the title, but keep them relevant and concise. Generally, 1-2 keywords or phrases is right for a title. Just pick the most important keywords for your site, and work them into a statement that makes sense.
Your title should read smoothly. It should be a nice, comfortable, informative title. You are, again, writing it FIRST for people, and SECOND for search engines. If a stranger can read it and easily understand what your site is about, FAST, then you got it right!
A title should describe the site contents well. If you have to choose between your business name and a meaningful description, choose the description, because it will mean something to both the search engine, and the person who reads it. If you are trying to create branding, then use your business name, followed by a SHORT description, such as "Firelight Web Studio - Truly different, Truly effective web design". And that is about the maximum length that a title should be!
Do not leave the title as "untitled". That helps no one. And do not name the page inaccurately, or use a title that is misleading - that is considered black hat. Never put a keyword list in a title, and do not repeat words.
<head>
<title>Simple Search Engine Optimization that Really
WORKS</title>
<meta name="GENERATOR" content="Namo WebEditor">
<meta name="description" content="Simple and
Effective Search Engine Optimization Tactics">
<meta name="keywords" content="seo, search engine
optimization, pagerank, duplicate content, sandbox">
<link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="style.css">
</head>
I usually create a site with the metatags, title tag, and alt tags for site-wide images in place. Then I replicate the site, and go in and customize the title and metatags for the individual page. Sometimes I don't have time to do that until months later though. The advantage to putting the title into the template is that at least the pages have something relevant in there, even if it isn't the best option.
Choosing the title for a home page can be difficult because you may have many different things you are doing. Just pick the ONE most important thing to emphasize.
See, when the search engines index your site, they are going to dive in deeper each time. Your other pages will get indexed in their own right. Your home page is NOT where the majority of your site visitors will come in from. So if you optimize the home page for one thing, the rest of the things you do will be found through their individual pages. Try to do too many things on your home page though, and it will get lost in the shuffle. We tend to think of the home page as the most important page, but in reality, it isn't much of the time.
This is especially important with the title. Just get the most important thing in there, and save the specifics for the interior pages. Your site will do better that way, and this is a proven fact.
