Title Tags Optimization for SEO

by +Mina Adly Younan
A title tag is the main text that describes an online document. It is the single most important on-page SEO element (behind overall content) and appears in three key places: Browser, SERPs, and Social Media Channels.

So, how to get the most out of your Title Meta Tag? 

1. Do not use the word "Home" or "Home Page".
2. Do not waste the space by typing the domain name in title tag
3. Do not waste Title Tag by just typing the Business or Brand name
4. Do not Type the Title in a Language different than the site’s main language
5. Do not make the Title Tag too long or too short.
6. Use the strategic keyphrases of the content in the Title Tag
7. Use the strategic Keyphrases First thing in the title (if Possible)
8. Include geographic location (if location is important to business)
9. Use applicable modifiers like (Buy, How to, Offer, Review, Top, etc.)
10. Do not repeat the Title Tag in other pages.
11. Use Proximity smartly, A title tag like “SEO blog” will rank better for the keyphrase [seo blog] than “SEO, PPC and social media marketing blog” not only due to the number of keywords contained and thus lack of focus but also because the words “SEO” and “blog” are very wide apart.
12. Create a compelling title tag with visitors in mind not only search engines. The title tag is a new visitor's first interaction with your brand when they find it in a search result and should convey the most positive impression possible.
13. Do not use stop words: Stop words are words that are ignored by search engines and (sometimes) users. These include words such as “by”, “it” and “as”.
14. Do not use a lot of commas or special characters. Instead you can use the hyphen (-)
15. Do not waste space in synonyms or plurals as Google already understands them.   
16. Use numbers: Users do not typically search for the “50+ Top Seo Tools” but they would rather click on it in a SERP rather than a title that reads “Top Seo Tools”.

Here are 10 title tag formulas that balance SEO and marketing and hopefully avoid wrestling matches in the boardroom:

• [product name] – [company name]. If you’re selling products and you know your customers search for the product names, put the product name first, then the company name. Unless the product name is 125 characters long, in which case you have a whole other problem.
• [article title] – [company name]. Worst case, put the article title first, then the company name.
• [company name] – [product name / article title]. If the marketing VP just won’t back down, fine. Put the company name first, and remind them that you’re going to slam a drawer on their fingers when, 4 weeks from now, they come in to your office asking why the rankings haven’t improved. 
• [custom title] – [company name]. If you really have a nifty content management system, you can edit your title tag separate from your page or article title. Put that custom title first, then your company name.
• [keyword] – [company name]. If you’re a one-product or one-service company, put the keyphrase that’s relevant to that page, then the company name, like this: Buggy Bumpers: Ian’s Buggy Emporium. Use a different phrase on each page! Repeating the same word again and again is a bad idea.
• [keyword] – [product name] – [company name]. If your product name, company name and target phrase are all short, you can string them all together like this: Buggy Repair – Tune Ups – Ian’s Buggy Emporium. I try to keep my title tags under 60 characters.
• [really cool sales phrase]. Remember, your title tag is what shows up in the search snippet. Come up with a great selling phrase like ‘Buggy repairs while you wait’. You work in the keywords and might talk the VP of marketing into leaving your title tag alone.
• [company name]. Give them what they want, watch the rankings implode, and after you’re fired you can laugh at them from afar. I don’t recommend this.
• [category] – [page or product name] – [company name]. This will almost certainly be too long, and get truncated in the search results. But if you have categories that are also search phrases, this is a nice, automated way to generate title tags throughout an entire store or collection of pages. 
• [ ]. You can always leave nothing in there at all. See number 8.

And remember to keep your title tags under 69 characters.