Page Title Tags for Better Search Engine Positioning

The Web page Title tag is the single most important mechanism we have available with which to describe what our pages are really about... not just to the end user performing the search query, but to the various search properties out there as well.

When it comes to search engine optimization and positioning, your page Title tag is given the most weight of any single "on page" element of optimization, and remains one of the most important elements we have to work with for achieving good search engine position (sep)... if we do them right.

Page Title Tags

The Title tag is not a Meta tag although it does appear in the <HEAD> section of your source code, and is generally followed by your Meta description and Meta keywords tags.

The Process of Developing Page Title Tags

The development of your Web page Title tags is best done on the keyword spreadsheet itself. This streamlines the process and makes it quick and easy to associate keyword terms to specific page files when performing advanced or phase two optimization.

Once you have completed your keyword research, grouped related kw’s and terms into kw sets and assigned them accordingly to the appropriate page files, you can begin developing and writing your page titles by...

placing your most important term for a particular page first
following it with descriptive text that reflects page content and includes all the primary and secondary kw’s and kw terms assigned to that particular page
excluding less searched tertiary kw terms from the title
writing your page Title tag as a "concise description of what the page is really all about" that makes sense to the searcher or potential client

Why it's so important to get your Page Titles right…

Most all of the major search engines in use today use the Title tag in some way. In fact many will use the page title in, or as, the headline of your listing within their search result (SERP) when your page is found during a search query. This is exactly why, when creating the title for a page, you always want to include your primary keywords and search terms within a "concise description of the page in general" that makes sense to the end user.

The Title tag is also used to describe your page when it’s added to a visitors list of favorites, and it displays in the title bar of the end user’s browser.

Preparing Effective Page Titles…

As stated above, your Title tag is the single most important element of optimization when seeking good placement within the SERPs, so take the time to construct them carefully.

Keyword research and the preparation of page titles that work for search engine positon, as well as for the potential customer or client, isn't rocket science for sure, but if you want to get the most from your efforts you have to take the time to get it right.

Example Page Titles
and the terms that can effectively be incorporated into them…

search engine optimization (67,000 searches)
seo (31,000 searches)
search engine optimization services (10,200 searches)
search engine optimization service (5,440 searches)
seo services (3,100 searches)
search engine optimization expert (1,100 searches)
expert seo (1,920 searches)
search engine optimization and seo (1,313 searches)
search engine optimization and seo services (850 searches)
seo service (450 searches)
optimization seo services (170 searches)

Combined, these 11 terms represent over a 124,000 searches in Overture (according the Overtures own figures for June/04), and they are all represented within the 56 character Page Title shown above.

search engine positioning (27,000 searches)
search engine position (8,100 searches)
search engine positioning services (2,244 searches)
search positioning (2,100 searches)
search engine positioning service (1,538 searches)
search engine optimization and positioning (684 searches)
search engine position and optimization (400 searches)

Combined, these 7 terms represent over a 42,000 searches in Overture (according the Overtures own figures for June/04), and they are all represented within the 70 character Page Title shown above.

The Three Keyword Standard...

Most articles and information available on search engine optimization and the assigning of keywords to web pages emphasize the need to restrict yourself to three keywords or kw terms per page...

Well that's simply nonsense, and it's confusing to anyone trying to understand the process for the first time. There are times when optimizing for three terms is appropriate, but it's the exception and is generally not the case when you're optimizing a site for a broad base of keywords and kw terms.

Is the first example above optimized for 11 terms or is it optimized for "Search Engine Optimization Services" and "Expert SEO Service"... which is actually two terms, or is it?

What about "Search Engine Optimization"... is it one kw term, or is it actually "Search", "Search Engine", "Search Optimization" and "Search Engine Optimization"... which is four keyword terms, all of which get significant searches independant of one another?

Is the second example optimized for the two terms "Search Engine Positioning Services" and "Search Position and Optimization Service", or is it optimized for the terms listed above and in fact others, such as...

Search Positioning
Search Engine
Search Service
Search Engine Optimization
Search Optimization and Position
Search Optimization and Positioning Service

Well, there are obviously elements of optimization not covered in this particular tutorial, but the answer to the question is simple... the example Title tag above is effectively optimized for all the listed terms and more.

Second, why try and optimize for three keywords or keyword terms that are dissimilar enough to make good optimization of the page a challenge, such as trying to optimize a geography page for "country", "province" and "city"?

Now, obviously if your page was an article that specifically related in some way the geographic terms country, province and city to one another... it would be appropriate to optimize the page for all three, however that would be the exception.

In most cases, you would have three separate pages, each dedicated to one of the three topics. You would optimize each for its relative main keyword or term, together with its derivatives and other closely related terms that get searched. You would include keyword synonyms and use stemming within the content and optimization elements, and you would include reference and contextual links to each of the other two related pages and the keyword terms optimized for.

As you can see from the examples sited above, if you group terms together that are related closely enough, you can easily optimize for more than three terms. The secret is to include in your "keyword set"... derivatives of your main keyword or term, as well as any secondary and tertiary terms that use mostly the same words, just rearranged somewhat.

How to Format Page Titles Correctly…

Your main, or primary keyword, or keyword term, must appear at the very beginning of the Title tag.

Your next most important, or secondary keyword, or keyword term, must appear next in the Title tag.

Important tertiary or closely related terms also can be included in the Title tag if you have taken the time to complete a comprehensive keyword spreadsheet and group your keywords and terms effectively into keyword sets suitable for good page assignment.

Make certain your page Title tag is highly descriptive of the web page it is written for, and never dilute the effectiveness of your keywords and terms by using too many other words.

Be concise, clear, and descriptive with your text when describing your subject matter and be sure to reflect the specific keywords and terms being optimized for.

Always think Keywords… and don't simply use the Company Name in your Web Page Title tag, unless of course your company name is made up of important keywords you are optimizing for... such as using "SEO Central" when optimizing a page for SEO.

Always put your most important keyword or keyword terms first and keep your secondary kw’s and terms as close to the beginning of the page title as possible.

Specific Parameters to follow when preparing your Page Title Tags…

The optimum number of words for a page title is 6 to 12 words. This is a guideline and not a rule. Each search engine has different maximum values for the title area.
Optimum number of characters within the page title is 60. Try not to exceed 63 characters as every search engine has a different ceiling, and if you exceed that predetermined value of characters within your page title, it will likely be truncated.
80 characters is an absolute maximum ceiling to stay within, although ideally it's best to stay within 60 characters.
Increase the keywords (or decrease other words) and aim for a density of 20-35% for all your main kw’s and terms.

The ideal page title contains 6 to 12 words using no more than 60 or so characters. It includes at least one occurrence of every primary, secondary and important tertiary keywords and terms being optimize for, all with a target density of at least 20% and 35%.

Your one primary keyword or term will generally have the highest density within the page Title tag, in some cases approaching 90% or more when the number of keywords and terms being optimized for is minimal.

Your secondary keywords and terms can also be higher than 35%, in some case approaching the same level of density as your primary keywords, but will seldom surpass 35% to 45%.

Important tertiary keywords and terms being included in your page Title tag also should come in at a minimum 25% density. Note however that you can include lesser searched terms in your keyword set for a particular page that will not be included in the Title tag. Including your least searched terms in other elements of optimization, such as alt and title attributes, meta tags, header text, and on page content, is often enough for good search engine postion.

Regardless of the keyword density, always make certain the title is relevant and inviting to the human eye.

Mistakes to Avoid When Preparing your Title Tags

It cannot be emphasised enough that your Title tag is the single most important 3 to 12 words on your Web page. It accounts for up to 80% of your rankings on some search engines, and here's why...

Search Engines look for "queried" words and terms first in Title tags
The Title tag is one of the main places search engines look to get a description of your site when posting the results of a keyword search on their SERPs.

Most people destroy any chance of success by making one or more of the following three mistakes in their Title tags.

Page Title Tag Mistake #1.

Not including important keywords and terms in your Title tag... If your keywords or keyword phrases are not in your Title tag, your Web page will NOT be found anywhere near the top of the search engines when these keywords and keyword phrases are queried. Your keyword phrases absolutely MUST be in your Title tag.

Page Title Tag Mistake #2.

Trying to put too many words and phrases in the Title tag... Your Title tag must be less than 80 characters (including spaces) for Google and most other search engines. We recommend no more than 60 characters, although we do make exception.

Page Title Tag Mistake #3. Be sure to START your Title tag with a keyword or keyword phrase. And even more important . . . start your Title tag with your most important keyword phrase.

Don't repeat words over and over in your Title tag. You can use some words two times such as "golf clubs" and "golf shoes," but don't over do it.
Have a different Title tag for each page of your Web site.
Don't put your company name in your Title tag, unless it contains the keywords being optimized for.

Killer Title tags can be your key to good search engine position. Most people spend days or weeks on their Web site pages and then spend less than five minutes (some people have admitted to spending less than one minute) writing their Title tags.

Remember... Your Title tag is responsible for as much as 80% of your "on page" optimization and search engine positoning success.

AND it is responsible for bringing traffic to your Web site after you get good position, because it is likely to be used to describe your page within the SERPs.

In summary... The extra time you spend designing and writing your Web page Title tags will bring rewards well worth the effort!

Or, go directly to our SEO Programs and Pricing page for details on the specific search engine optimization services and programs we have available...

If you are looking for a Search Engine Optimization Firm that is performance based, an SEO Firm that cares... then SEO Central is your best choice!

Give us a call or fill out the Request SEO Quote Form and one of our friendly professional seo service team members will be happy to go over your Web site with you and determine what the best search engine marketing strategy will be.

Web Page Title Tag Search Engine Position and Optimization...