Optimizing your website for search engines and search users alike require taking care of individual elements, with SEO title tag optimization being one of these requirements.
To start this blog, it will be helpful to define first what a title tag is and whether it’s the same as the H1 or headline tag. The meat of this post will then delve into the importance of the SEO title tag in terms of optimization concerns.
So, why should you take time to craft a unique, optimized title tag?
How does the SEO title tag actually help build better presence and drive profitability online?
What is a Title Tag?
The title tag, one of the HTML elements of a webpage, is the title displayed on the SERPs or Search Engine Results Pages. A web page’s title tag on the SERPs is clickable, taking search users into specific pages within the site.
The title tag serves the needs of search engines, search users, browsers, and the web in general, including social networks. This is why title tags are crucial for on-page optimization.
It creates a viable first impression and shows at first glance what the content is about. It’s difficult to achieve good SEO results, thus, without a prioritization of the title tag.
But given that the title tag refers to the visible title on the SERPs, does this mean it’s the same as the headline/title on the web page itself? The answer is yes and no.
The headline tag or H1 tag refers to the headline or title visible on the web page after users have clicked on the title tag and are taken to the specific page itself.
There will be cases where the title tag and the H1 tag are the same; however, some websites will go for a title tag that is unique from (but still primarily related to) the headline tag.
This is usually done for optimization purposes — to ensure proper length, smart keyword use, and the overall ‘message’ of the title tag on the SERPs.
Benefits of Title Tag Optimization
Now that we have run through the basic definitions of a title tag, we can now discuss its impact on SEO.
Enumerated below are the five best practical uses of SEO title tag optimization and why this should be a priority for your overall search engine optimization plan.
#1. Ensures targeted audience reach
The clearly visible title tagon the SERPs has the potential to create a good first impression on your audience. It lets them know in a few seconds what the page’s content is about and whether it’s something they want to click and spend time on.
By targeting the right keywords in your title tag and keeping it at the right length, your pages will be able to attract the right audience. This already gives you the opportunity for more engagement and even probable conversion
#2. Improves Click-Through-Rates
It’s no secret that title tags are important for the search engines. With the right title tags, search engines will know what your page’s content is about and index it the right way for future searches.
However, title tags are also very visible to search users. It’s what search users actually see as clickable links when they put in a specific online query. And although other factors can come into play when it comes to clickthrough rates, well-written title tags have the potential to be clicked on more than others.
#3. Helpful for Social Sharing
Did you know that title tags are also visible on newsfeed results in social networks such as Facebook? If you have ever tried sharing your content or page on Facebook, the title tag will be shown as the clickable title on the timeline, newsfeed, or on your very own social page.
Moz, however, says that Facebook and Twitter permits you to create specific title tags through their own meta tagging features.
Regardless of the route you wish to take with social tagging, title tags are highly crucial for both the SERPs and social pages.
#4. Ensure Web Browsing Visibility
For search users that have multiple browsers simultaneously open, title tags serve as a quick reminder for them what your page is about and how it can serve what they need within that given moment.
This is because the title tags are also visible on top of the browser tabs. Imagine a user closing a browser tab simply because the top of the web browser failed to display the right title tag —- or, basically, what your page content is all about.
This means losing out on potentially high-quality traffic and losing the opportunity at engagement from already-interested website visitors.
#5. Builds Brand Awareness
One of the best ways to get the most out of your title tags is to include your brand name in the title itself.
It doesn’t matter whether you are a fairly new brand in your market niche; placing your brand name in the title tag will put your name out there, creating awareness and recall.
The Takeaways:
By observing best practices on SEO title tag optimization, you can get the most out of your title tags in the SERPs. The shorter, the more concise, and more precise your title tag, the better.
And while keywords are important, Google isn’t too keen on title tags that have too many keywords in them. Also, it’s best to create unique title tags for different pages so as not to earn the disapproval of the search engines.
Search engine optimization is not just content optimization or website loading speed. It’s all of the different but related elements working together, including title tags.
And always remember —- first impressions matter. Creating thoughtful and optimized title tags will always redound well to the overall optimization goals of your site.