Title Tag Optimization:11 Best Practices & Mistakes to Avoid

What is a Title Tag?

It is an important factor of HTML and allows you to give a subject to a webpage. It is the cornerstone of SEO and makes it easy for readers and search engines to understand what your page or blog is about.

In simple words, it’s the title of your page that has a huge impact on SEO.

Note: “Do not mess title tag with H1. They both are different things. As H1 is used within the web page to define the subject of your content.”

According to Moz, “Title tags are the second important factor of on-page SEO”.

You may heard about making titles eye-catching but at the same time optimizing them is also needed. People and search engines will see your page through them that’s why it’s important to put time and effort in.

It’s essential to optimize it better because it is the first thing that shows on web browsers or SERPs.

For example, whenever you search for something you see a page of results relevant to your query. Like if you search “Children’s toys” the list of pages will be shown.

And the clickable headlines are title tags.

There are so many factors to be considered while doing SEO but most importantly those that have massive impact. And title tags are one of them.

Using title tags in the wrong way can negatively affect your website and hurt the SEO. That’s why it’s necessary to learn the tactics to optimize title tags professionally.

11 Best Practice and Mistakes to Avoid:

Optimum Title Tag Length:

Your title and webpage heavily rely on search engines to rank and index it. So following search engine guidelines is extremely important. That’s sometimes frustrating to do.

Here is the good for you. There is no certain character limit or restriction for title length.

While Google doesn’t have any kind of strict guidelines and limits. However, the approximate length considered by most search engines is 55-60 characters.

Sure there is no minimal character limit but if your title is over 60 characters Google will truncate it. This means you are compromising on user experience and people will not completely get the idea.

Remember, it is the first and might be the last chance to attract eyeballs and make a good impression.

Write Unique Title for Every Page:

Every page of your website has a different purpose and deserves a one-of-a-kind title. Writing a unique title for each webpage helps search engines and people recognize them.

The more optimized and unique your title is the more likely it will shown to the right people. For example, if you search for “Lantern ” the search engine will show you generic results you automatically skip them.

This makes people skip and go further. To avoid this unique title is crucial. To exact matches and influence people you create eye-catching headlines.

A study by Moz reveals that there is a direct correlation between optimized unique title tags and CTR. This shows that you have to pay very close attention to it.

Now the question is how to come up with a new and unique title tag. Buckle up, I am going to break down this process into easy and nice steps.

Understand the content: Clearly understanding your content will make it easier for you to summarize it. Take notes of every single key point and subject of your webpage.

Add the Target keyword: Most of the time users search by specific keywords and terms. When you incorporate it in your title it’s more prone to the right audience.

Keep it Short and Concise: Both people and search engine loves clarity. The more short and clear your title is the more likely they will get an idea and take action.

Use “power” words and “numbers”: These kinds of words like “ultimate”, “best”, 5 secrets” grabs the attention and excite the researchers.

Include The Target Keyword:

When it comes to SEO optimization keywords become the rulers of this kingdom. Search engines use primary keywords to understand your page content.

What is the trick? Targeting only one focus keyword in your title tag is more beneficial and maintains relevancy and clarity than adding two or more.

Adding multiple keywords to your page title leads to keyword cannibalization ( in which multiple keywords compete within your page).

It directly harms your page ranking by confusing both search engines and people.

Using one primary keyword brings clarity and enhances the user experience. Instead, when you place multiple keywords it looks spammy.

For example,

And more clear and concise results.

Try to use the target keyword at the beginning of the title tag for better results. It gives benefits as people and search engines clearly get an idea about your page.

It also prevents cutting out when Google sets the long titles.

However, it’s not necessary to place in the start but it is more suited for SEO.

For example, the title tag with multiple keywords in comparison with only the target keyword.

Make your title look naturally attractive and unique. It is the representative of your page.

It shows people how valuable your content is and nudges them to take action.

The best tip to grab attention and boost visitors is to state the benefit in your title tag and make it valuable and informative.

For example, if you look at this page title it clearly states what they provide and how it will be beneficial.

Analyzing the Competitor:

For best results, analyze the SERPs. Start the manual search by entering your target keyword in the search engine and see the top results.

For example, if you look at this search results you see sales many times. This means they offer the Macbook at the cheapest prices and get potential visitors.

Make a list of keywords on which your competitors are ranking but make sure don’t copy the same title. Make it unique and clear at the same time.

Although, it helps you to craft the blueprints and find the relevant keywords. It also provides you with additional information about search intent, SEO trends, etc helps you to craft a title that stands out and captures user attention.

Create Your Title to Resemble to H1 Tag:

As I mentioned earlier title tags and H1 both are different but at some point, they act as one thing.

Your page title and H1 both give subject to your page and reflect search engines and people about your content.

Most of the time they are the same or use the same keywords. But you can also make it different by maintaining the balance between relevancy and SEO parameters. It varies from case to case.

When they are different it confuses search engines (or people) and hurts the SEO. Although, H1 is used inside the body of your content but is still important to maintain consistency between H1 tags and title tags.

For example, if the Title of your page is “Best Cameras for Beginners 2024” and the H1 tag is ” Welcome to Stunning World- Find your best camera“.

This is exactly what you have to do. Make sure to optimize both in a way that is relevant and consistent at the same time.

But the common mistake to avoid while doing it is that most of the time people don’t talk is making the same H1 and page title.

Sure similar title tag and H1 tag will benefit you but having different but strategic resemblance will give you insane results also.

Try to use different sets of keywords for each. It naturally enhances the SEO and gives a different but good overall look.

Note: It can be identical and different depending on your SEO strategy.

Use Brand Name on Front Boarder:

Using a brand name or main word is more helpful in the title tag and it is preferred to use in the start as of SEO value.

It is also helpful to avoid being cut off when Google truncates the long title tags.

If you use your brand name wisely then it is best to place it in the beginning. It reinforces brand awareness and makes you stand out in your niche.

For example,

Common Mistakes To Avoid:

Creating Pages Without Title:

If your webpage is not having a specific title then Google or search engines will write it for you. But unfortunately, there is no surety that those given titles will work.

Let’s say someone searches for a specific service and your site has but it won’t be shown up on the search results until it specifies it.

Manually edit and set the HTML titles of each page of your web to make sure it is present. You can also find the missing title page with SEO tools like SEMrush, Ubersuggest, and Moz.

Copy Title Tags:

Copying any other content is not good legally and also lacks originality. When you do copy and paste it makes Google and users difficult to determine which one is more relevant and authentic.

It also hurt badly the SEO and user experience. Many times when users find websites with the same title tag it irritates and frustrates them. They immediately skip it or find it spammy.

Google uses keywords to understand and index but when you use the same keyword in each title it creates a mess in your sitemap and negatively impacts your site. Craft the title tag of every page unique and entice users to take action.

Too Long Title:

As I already discussed earlier too long titles are truncated by Google or even sometimes Google rewrites them.

As it is important and the first thing to appear in SERPs it should be clear and relevant. But when it is truncated by rewritten by Google it loses the organic potential.

Make sure to write the title within the concise character length of 55-60 and more precisely 59 characters/600 pixels.

If you are using WordPress it is easy to see and edit it in the snippet. Or also you can use tools like SERP Simulator.

Over Optimization of Title Tag:

Optimization is the process of making your title potentially able to compete in your relevant niche.

Without optimization, your site won’t rank or be shown in search results. To make sure the appearance you have to optimize it.

However, over-optimization leads to the destruction of the overall SEO performance. There could be several reasons for this but mainly keyword stuffing, redundancy, and unnatural wording are responsible.

For example “Buy Quality Laptop, Cheap Laptops, Free Shipping” looks messy, unnatural, and contains multiple keywords.

In contrast to this version ” Buy Quality Laptop at cheapest price” provides value and is more clear and concise.

Prioritize quality over quantity and write it for users. Sure, search engines are essential but in the end, you have to write and optimize it for users.

Providing No Value:

As we discuss in the end your content is for users. When you write generic titles and titles that provide little or no value to people it is easily ignored by them.

To get noticed and potential leads add value create titles that provide value or give them a reason to click.

Make sure the title doesn’t look spammy and sales pitch. Make your title with the right structure short concise, and informative with powerful CTA.

Avoid those vague titles that are useless for both users and search engines and do not align with the content of your page.

Frequently Asked Questions about Title Tag:

How long should be a title tag?

To avoid truncation by Google the ideal length is 55- 60 characters.

What is a title tag and why they are important?

Title tags are the headings of your page shown in search results. It is important to optimize it as it encourages or entices users to take action and boost CTR.

Can the title tag and H1 be the same?

Yes, it can be the same and there is no bad thing in having the same title tag and H1 tag. But for best results try to make it different and versatile.

How many keywords can be placed in one title tag?

One keyword is enough to optimize the title tag. But if you want to use more than one add closely relevant keywords. Make sure they make sense together.

Is there any specific structure for the title tag?

There is no specific structure or guideline. But make sure your title is clear, informative, and contains power that makes users take action.

Title Tag Conclusion:

If you struggling with crafting an optimized title tag and find it a difficult task this blog is for you. I am sure after reading this you can write your title in a better way.

This is one of the most important factors of SEO. I know it is sometimes frustrating to tackle up with all the points.

But it is the key factor that you have to pay attention to and work on it. It won’t take too much time only if you know how to do it right.

Remember it’s just a comprehensive guide and tricks that help you to create and optimize title tags and get the best results.

I tried my best to add every little detail in this quick guide and also add tips and techniques that are proven experimentally.

Which tip do you find most useful? If you have any other tips that I forgot to mention in this guide mention them in the comment below.