The importance of the Title tag is one of the most effective aspects of search engine marketing but the value of the Title tag is greatly overlook and is often abused. What is the Title tag? When you log into a web site the title tag for each web page appears at the top of the browser but is most commonly noticed when seen on a search engine return page, per below (for my Sports photography web site):
The Title tag is the top line in blue. The bolded words reflect the search term used “George Ross” and this means that the most important keywords for each web page must be included in the title tag for great search engine optimization performance. It is important to state the obvious that by simply having a great, keyword rich title tag alone does not guarantee great organic search engine performance but it is a very important component of a search engine optimization strategy.
The title tag should:
- not exceed 60 characters
- include the most important key words for that web page ( every page on a site should be unique)
- include a location, if you business is regional (state or town)
Most Title tags are badly written because the importance of them is under recognized. I adjust my clients thinking by asking them to look at their own title tags and the to consider the keywords that a prospective client would use to find their business. If they match great….but they seldom match.
The title tag should be uniquely crafted for each page, it is tedious and challenging but it is an extremely effective marketing action.
The use of the title tag is considered the 4th most important aspect of search engine marketing, see this blog entry http://webdesign-ri.com/web_site_design_and_SEO_blog/2009/09/24/top-search-engine-ranking-factors/
If you ant to market your web site, embrace title tags.
