Title Tag Optimization

Posted on April 4, 2008

Keyword research forms the most essential aspect of any SEO initiative. Assuming the content for the web page is driven by thoughtful selection of keywords the immediate work to embark upon would be Title and Meta Description Tags. At this juncture I would like to cover Title Tag optimization.

Title Tag is an HTML code that shows the words that appear in the title bar at the top of your web browser. The title tag is followed by the meta description and the meta keywords tags.

Title Tag as it looks in your web site’s HTML code:

Meta Tag Optimization: Title Tag Optimization

The usage of keywords in the title tag gives it the highest weight, amongst the places wherein important keyword phrases could be used. It is therefore important to be highly focused, while using the keyword phrases in the title tag. If the keywords intended to be used in the title tag do not appear anywhere else in the page content, then avoid using them as the weight of the keywords in the title tag gets diluted. But the keywords in the title tag, can also be in the page content and the meta description tag.

Sequencing of keyword phrases correctly in the title tag is essential. The order in which they appear is of great importance. The title is displayed in bold, in the search engine results pages (SERP’s) by having the most important and relevant keyword phrase towards the beginning of the title tag.

Title Tag is important of all tags amongst other SEO related options:

1. It communicates the theme of the web page to the visitors serving as anchor.
2. It is considered very important by the search engine crawlers during the ranking process to analyze relevance of the web page to determine the page rank.
3. It is the hyper-linked text title that is displayed in the search engine results page (SERP), a prominent source of information to searchers.
4. It is also used as the text to ‘bookmark’ a page or add a certain web page to the ‘favorites’ list in your browser.
5. It is also used by resource librarians, directory editors, and other webmasters when they link to your page.

Attributes to follow:

1. Both singular and plural forms of the keyword phrases in the title tag can be considered.
2. Title Tag length: According to W3C standards the length ideal is 64 characters, but since Google reads more, upto 70-75 should be fine.
3. Density of your keywords does not matter in the title tag, therefore avoid using keywords repeatedly.
4. Sequencing keywords appropriately in title tag is important. Use natural phrases for, which conform to the keyword phrases and are a better read.
5. Same title tag should not be used throughout the site. Always use a unique title tag for each web page with keyword phrases that holds theme relevance to that page, enabling additional keyword phrases to be utilized.
6. Most search engines are not case sensitive; therefore, it gives a flexibility to write title tag depending upon the nature of site.
7. Title Tag usually appears as the text when you bookmark’ or add a page to your favorites’ list it should ideally read like a phrase that makes some grammatical sense, not just a collection of keywords.