Difference between revisions of "Learn/Shared-Page-Titles:-Classic-SEO-Mistake"

Line 19: Line 19:
  
 
==Where Does the Title Appear?==
 
==Where Does the Title Appear?==
The title is what you see in the top border of your web browser window, and it’s what you see in the tab for that web page if you use tabbed browsing.
+
The title is what you see in the top border of your web browser window, and it’s what you see in the tab for that web page if you use tabbed browsing:
 
[[Image:LearnSEOTitleTag2.jpg|530px]]
 
[[Image:LearnSEOTitleTag2.jpg|530px]]
  
  
The title is also what Google will usually show as the heading for your site in search engine results.
+
The title is also what Google will usually show as the heading for your site in search engine results:
 
[[Image:AUtitleTagInSERP.jpg|400px]]
 
[[Image:AUtitleTagInSERP.jpg|400px]]
 +
  
 
A website’s listing in search results has two main parts:  a heading in large, bold type, and a “snippet,” or description of the page content, in smaller, regular type. Google normally uses the content of the title tag for the heading, and the contents of the meta description tag for the snippet, which appears below the heading.
 
A website’s listing in search results has two main parts:  a heading in large, bold type, and a “snippet,” or description of the page content, in smaller, regular type. Google normally uses the content of the title tag for the heading, and the contents of the meta description tag for the snippet, which appears below the heading.

Revision as of 23:10, 8 October 2010

RetweetIconSmall.png  FacebookShareIcon2.png   GoogleBuzzIcon.png
 By Michael Cottam on October 12, 2010

About the Author
MichaelCottam.jpg

MichaelCottamLogo.png
My Website:
{{{2}}} (visit)

Michael Cottam is an independent SEO consultant in Portland, Oregon, and an associate at SEOmoz in Seattle, Washington. Michael co-founded TheBigDay honeymoon travel and registry company in 2001, and was responsible for the website and SEO for that company. He's on the board of SEMpdx and manages sponsorships for SEMpdx events, including the annual SearchFest conference.

The page title is one of the most important ways that search engines determine what a web page is about. That means you should make sure each web page on your site has its own unique title, one that accurately reflects its content and purpose. And each page title should include the most important keyword or keyword phrase for that page: the words most people would use to find the page’s key content.

Don't be tempted to use the same title for each page of your website, just because you came up with one you like. Duplicate titles are a signal to Google that the site is of low quality, and that will hurt your site's ranking in search results.

Warning: The title of a web page is controlled by a meta tag in the section of the page. It’s quite common for webmasters to create the section just once – including the title and description tags – and then copy it for all pages on the site. Sometimes webmasters simply forget to create a unique title tag and description tag for each web page.

Where Does the Title Appear?

The title is what you see in the top border of your web browser window, and it’s what you see in the tab for that web page if you use tabbed browsing: LearnSEOTitleTag2.jpg


The title is also what Google will usually show as the heading for your site in search engine results: AUtitleTagInSERP.jpg


A website’s listing in search results has two main parts: a heading in large, bold type, and a “snippet,” or description of the page content, in smaller, regular type. Google normally uses the content of the title tag for the heading, and the contents of the meta description tag for the snippet, which appears below the heading.

Google will try to create its own heading from the text on a web page if:

  • The web page doesn’t have a title tag, or
  • Many pages on your site have the same title tag

Why Not Let Google Choose the Heading for You?

Creating a title tag that contains the most important search term for a web page gives you the opportunity to help that page rank higher in search results. That can help you get noticed by potential customers.

If you don’t have a title for a page, or if a number of your web pages have the same title, Google can regard your site as being of lower quality. That can hurt your position in search engine results.

The title is also used when someone bookmarks a web page in their browser. Make sure they can find your web page again by creating an accurate, attention-grabbing title.

Twitter defaults to the page title when someone tweets from a web page that offers the Twitter button. An accurate and descriptive title can really help you in the Twittersphere.

Title Tag Guidelines

  • Keep it under 70 characters – that’s all Google will show in search results.
  • Each page on your website should have its own unique title tag.
  • Each title should describe what that web page is about, not what the entire website is about.
  • Your home page should have a title tag that represents the most important keyword(s) for your site.
  • Construct your title tag from a combination of the page title, and your company name [This isn’t clear to me – Do you mean each page title should include the company name? Do you mean the home page title tag should include the company name? I’ve read the opposite – that company name is only important if it’s a strong brand]
  • Separate sections of your title with hyphens or vertical bars: Cordless Drills - Tools R Us or Cordless Drills | Tools R Us
  • If you have a brand that most consumers know, you could get more clicks by showing your brand first. [screenshot, maybe from Nike or Toyota or another household brand] Otherwise, put the most important topic for that page first. [screenshot of a properly made title from a less important brand]
  • To get the best ranking for a keyword, put it as close to the beginning of the title as possible. If it’s a keyword phrase, make sure you place the words in the same order as the most-searched version of that keyword phrase. [Really need an example here, perhaps a screenshot]

Description Tag Guidelines

The text in the meta description tag is important. As the second part of what Google shows in search results, it’s your opportunity to attract people to click to your site.

Before you write your meta description, do some competitive research. Search for your competitors in Google, and see what their descriptions say. Try to write a description for your product or service that will persuade a user to click on your site, rather than competing sites. Make sure your description includes your most important keywords.

Sometimes Google will pull the snippet, or page description, from your website’s listing in the Open Directory Project (dmoz.org), or its listing in the Yahoo Directory. I recommend that you not leave this important description to the whims of the search engines. To discourage search engines from using either the Open Directory or Yahoo description for the snippet, add these simple meta tags to the section of every page:

You can’t fully control Google’s choice of text for the snippet. To up your chances of having your site described as it should be, make sure:

  • Your meta description is accurate and uses the most important keyword(s) for that page
  • The text on every web page is accurate and well written, with important keywords used appropriately

Final caution: Do not “stuff” web pages, titles or descriptions with too many keywords. That’s a sure way to tell search engines you’re trying to game results, and could mean you lose out in the search-rankings game.

Resources

AboutUs article on writing good page titles and meta descriptions

SEOmoz's list of best practices for title tags

Google Webmaster Tools guide to changing your title tag and description in search engine results pages (SERPS)

Not sure how your website appears to search engines? Check the free Online Visibility Audit tool on AboutUs.


Read more about growing your business on the web.

Want to know about new articles? Find out on Facebook, Twitter, via RSS or email.


Retrieved from "http://aboutus.com/index.php?title=Learn/Shared-Page-Titles:-Classic-SEO-Mistake&oldid=20676118"