Title tags, also known as meta titles, are the clickable bits of blue text that pop up after you search for something on Google. As the first impression customers have of your website, title tags are important. You’ll want them to be relevant, punchy, and interesting enough to hook people in, getting them to engage with your website. These meta titles also have a lot more SEO value than people realise. Google is constantly crawling the web for SEO titles. When you pop a high ranking keyword in there, it can really help to increase your ranking. Meta titles are also often the deciding factor when someone chooses to click on your website. These clicks generate more traffic, more leads, and more sales, and are a recipe for success.
So how do you make the most out of this small but important element? Read on to find out! Search Marketing Experts has gathered all the tips and tricks for you, including unspoken rules, what to avoid, and important things to keep in mind. We’ll cover the essential steps for creating the perfect title tags to boost your business.
Writing For Humans
The most important thing to remember when writing your meta titles is that you are writing for humans first and search engines second. Search engines can certainly help you rank higher and get you noticed. However, it’s other human beings that are going to buy your products or hire your services. You’ll have to learn how to hook in your audience if you want your website to really succeed.
Sentences
The first thing to consider is that many people do not have the patience to read long sentences. You know, the ones that seem to go on and on for ages and feel like they are never going to stop no matter how long you may keep reading and wishing for it to be over and… Well, you get it. As a general rule of thumb, it’s best to keep your title tag between 50 and 60 characters. Anything longer and search engines will likely cut off your meta title mid-sentence, so keep it short. Punchy. To the point. Provide the information people need, but don’t waffle. Search engines actually measure meta titles with pixels. However, that’s a little more complex and using a character count works just fine, so we’ll stick to what works best for us.
Meta Titles
As well as keeping things succinct, your meta titles will also want to target your audience’s interests. One great way to do this is by making use of “the curiosity gap”. This marketing tool is particularly useful as it rarely exceeds a single sentence, which appeals to the short and snappy nature of meta titles. The curiosity gap draws people in by discussing subjects they’re already invested in and then igniting their need to know more.
Curiosity Gap
Some people argue that the curiosity gap is just a fancier way of saying “clickbait” but that really depends on what content you offer people once they click on your site. If you don’t follow through in providing the information promised in your title tag, then yep! That’s clickbait. You should always avoid clickbait. It will make your business appear untrustworthy, damage your brand’s image, and leave you out of favour with potential customers.
Title Tags
Your title tag should always be an accurate representation of what awaits on your website. Satisfying your audience’s curiosity will encourage them to engage with your business, boosting your success. There are a few different ways you can structure your meta tags to incorporate the curiosity gap. We’d encourage you to get creative and think of fun ways that your business can utilise this handy strategy. Examples of meta titles using the curiosity gap include:
- “This Australian Made Furniture is Revolutionising Homes”
- “Gardening Tips For Beginners: 10 Tools You NEED To Buy!”
- “Ethical Fashion: Exposing The Dark Side of Cheap Clothing”
- “Meta Titles – How One Sentence Can Lead to Business Success”
Writing For Search Engines
Once you’ve grabbed your audience’s attention with a short and snappy hook, it’s time to consider how to write for search engines. Appealing to an algorithm can be just as tricky as appealing to humans but once you know the basics, you’re sure to succeed. With search engines, the rules tend to be a little more rigid; they like things laid out a certain way. There are a few things you can do with your title tags to help your website rank higher, so let’s talk about what they are.
Avoid Caps
Firstly, avoid all caps. It makes your website seem disingenuous to people, and search engines also dislike it. The more capital letters you use, the more pixels your title tag will eat up. As we mentioned previously, search engines measure the length of your meta titles with pixels. Anything more than 600 pixels will get your sentence cut off midway through, and the 50-60 character rule becomes redundant when all of those characters are capitalised.
Meta Titles
Next, tag ONE primary keyword per meta title, and put it towards the front. This will frame your title tag well and gives you more room to get creative with the rest of the sentence. Shoehorning a bunch of popular keywords into your SEO titles may seem like a good idea at first, but remember you’re facing a whole world of competition. The more popular a keyword is, the more businesses you’re up against. You don’t want to make finding your business as hard as finding a needle in a haystack.
Keywords
Sticking to one primary keyword leaves room to use a secondary keyword further along in your title. It also gives you the option to create a long-form version of the one keyword. For example, if you’re an Australian furniture store, the keyword “Australian Made” has likely been searched way more than “Australian Made Furniture”. However, the valuable keyword still exists in both phrases. The second phrase will simply narrow down the search term to generate more relevant traffic. The same goes for “Gardening Tips” vs “Gardening Tips For Beginners”. Both contain a popular keyword, but the latter will help you reach a more specific audience. When you structure SEO titles to include more specific search terms, search engines can help you out more, making it much easier for your customers to find you.
If You Need Help With Your Meta Titles, The Search Marketing Experts Team Has You Covered
Now that you’re familiar with the essentials, there’s nothing left to do but write those meta titles! This small but mighty piece of text might seem complicated to perfect at first, but once you know what you’re doing, you’ll be getting it right in no time. When you remember everything here and incorporate all our top tips into your new tags, the value of SEO titles will become apparent in no time. You should quickly see a significant boost in traffic that will give your business the potential to thrive.