How to Write Good Title Tags: A Checklist

As discussed in Chapter 5 of the SEO Diet, title tags are one of the most important pieces of meta data to your website and Google’s search engine. They tell the search engines and visitors what any given page on your site is about in a concise and accurate way. You can find the title tag along the top of your browser window when a page loads, and it will also show up as the big blue link in the SERPs. Every page on your website should have a meaningful and keyword-focused title tag. Here are expert tips on how to write title tags.

Best Practices for Writing Title Tags

• Title tags should be no longer than 70 characters.
• The priority of the keywords and branding should go in this order: Primary Keyword – Secondary Keyword | Branding
• Write title tags for humans (as opposed to search engines).
• Every page should have a unique title tag – do not duplicate them.
• Title tags should not be keyword-stuffed.
• Make your title tag different than your header tag.
• They should be easy to read and should make sense.
• Avoid using too many stop words.

Writing good, optimized title tags is worth your time and effort when it comes to implementing SEO on your website. This part of meta data is the most obvious element in search results, and it plays a part in a potential visitor’s decision regarding whether or not they want to click on your site.

Examples of Good and Bad Title Tags

If a webpage is about adopting a dog from an adoption center called Pet Rescue USA, here are good and bad examples of title tags:

• Bad: Pet Rescue – Rescue and Adopt a Dog That Needs to Be Rescued – Pet Rescue USA
• Good: Rescue Your Pet – Adopt a Dog from Your Local Shelter | Pet Rescue USA
• Good: Rescue A Dog from A Shelter | Pet Rescue USA

If a webpage is about where you can find the best fishing rods from a brand called Fishing Forever, examples of title tags include:

• Bad: Fishing Rods – Find a Fishing Rod for Fishing | Fishing Forever
• Good: The Best Fishing Rods for Saltwater Fishing | Fishing Forever
• Good: The Best Fishing Rods for Bass Fishing | Fishing Forever
• Good: The Best Fishing Rods of 2019 | Fishing Forever

If the webpage is the home page for an air conditioning company called Stay Cool in Los Angeles, title tag examples include:

• Bad: Home – Stay Cool
• Good: AC Services, Installation, and Repair in Los Angeles | Stay Cool
• Good: Los Angeles HVAC Experts – AC Installation & Repair | Stay Cool
• Good: Air Conditioning Installation & Repair Services | Stay Cool

The proper placement of keywords within your titles and title tags will make a difference in the success of your SEO efforts, so it’s important to take advantage of the different SEO ranking factors. For more SEO secrets and examples of good SEO, dive into the SEO Diet by Joe Laratro.