Page titles are an essential factor for on-page search engine rankings, but all too often website owners neglect this major piece of the SEO puzzle. Business owners want their companies to be found online, and improving online visibility can often begin with the title of a website’s page.
You do not want to just throw any combination of words up and call it a title, however. Like all aspects of SEO, page titles must be carefully considered and relevant to both the content on the page itself as well as what users are looking for on search engines.
Here are a few common mistakes to avoid when producing page titles:
Making the Titles Too Long or Too Short
Google displays up to 60 characters in its search engine results page, so all titles should fall somewhere in this range. Short titles will limit the potential of a page to rank for keywords or locations. Take advantage of all 60 characters so you can incorporate important keywords that you would like your website to be found for.
However, if the title is too long and exceeds 60 characters it will end up being cut off on the search engine results. Also, having too many keywords within your page title could result in keyword cannibalism. It is best to stay within Google’s limits.
Not Optimizing the Titles with Appropriate Keywords
Keyword stuffing is something to be avoided, so multiple keywords or service areas should not be included in the same title. Because each web page contains unique content, the keywords and locations in the title should reflect what is on the page it is describing. It is also important to know that the keywords that appear at the beginning of the title are looked at as most important by Google. So if you’re really trying to optimize for a specific keyword, make sure that keyword is at the beginning of your page title.
Having Duplicate Page Titles
Duplicate page titles are an extremely common SEO mistake across the board. This makes it difficult for users to determine which page is which when they are all displayed together in the search engine results page. The title should be distinctive from all others on the same website.
Not Having a Title on a Page
Of course, every page on a website should have a title, but this is not always the case. Search engines use the title tag to display in their search results, so a page that lacks a title is difficult to find and index. Titles give each individual page some context so both the search engine and users know what the page is about.
Contact Boston Web Marketing
While it might seem cumbersome to come up with titles for each page of a website, this is an important part of SEO. Without well-optimized and relevant page titles, a website’s ranking will suffer, potentially costing a business money in the long run. It is better to put in the effort now and reap the benefits of an effective page title later. If you’re looking for assistance with SEO strategies including page title optimization, contact Boston Web Marketing. Our team of professionals is here to assist in broadening your online presence and getting you found easily on the web!