Simple SEO Tips: The Title Tag

When working with search engine optimization, sometimes the simplest tools can dramatically improve your site’s ranking. The title tag can be one of the most effective SEO assets you have at your disposal. If you have ever visited a website and noticed the line of text found along the top of the browser window, then you have read a title tag. From a human reader’s standpoint, a relevant, coherent title tag will make a website look more professional and detailed.When viewed through the eyes of a web crawler, the title tag becomes even more important. As a general rule of thumb, avoid entering a title tag that exceeds 60 to 70 characters. This is the maximum number of characters most search engines will display. When you exceed the limit, your title tag will be cut off in search results. This will make your site look less professional to the web visitor that comes across it.The title tag plays a pivotal role in the placement of your website as well. When a web crawler begins to index your site, the title tag is the main component that tells the web crawler what your site is all about. Keywords should be used in the title tag, but in a way that is logical. A professional website will not stuff keywords into the title tag just for the sake of search engine optimization. This is because the title tag is presented as the linked title on search engine results pages.When selecting keywords for your website’s title tag, make sure you choose terms that encompass the general theme or topic of your site. Avoid being overly vague, the keyword should allow web crawlers to place your site in the right search results. However, if you have sub pages that cover very specific topics, stick with the over arching keyword. Repeat this process on each page of your website. This will allow you to narrow down the topic by choosing keywords that are relevant to that page.Title tags can help improve your website’s ranking in a few different ways. Good search engine optimization practices require a short, logical title tag with a relevant keyword worked in. If you haven’t updated your title tags yet, now is the time to do so. You could be missing out on better search result ranking and many new visitors.