What is a Meta Title?
A meta title shows the name of a web page. The title is displayed by the browser, usually at the top of your computer screen, and tells a reader what page they are on. Meta titles are “read” by search engine robots, and seen by site visitors.The metal title is very important for helping the page rank high in search engine returns and should be written to cater to search engine robots – not to site visitors. Meta titles should make sense to the reader, but the wording should be based on keyword search popularity and relevance to the rest of the web page including other meta data and content.
The four worst mistakes you can make when creating a meta title for your page are:
- Not creating any title at all;
- Naming your page the same names as your website;
- Naming all your pages the same name, or something similar to each other; and
- Naming the page without connecting it to your content and other meta data.
Be sure to use keyword selector tools and keyword density tools to help you write your meta title.
Examples of “Bad” Meta Titles
The following example meta titles are too vague and do not give either robots or site readers enough information:- Flowers
- Population Statistics
- Chocolate Indulgence
- E-Z Tax Tips
Examples of Good Meta Titles
- Flowers – How to Grow Flowers
- Population Statistics – 2008 United States Population Statistics
- Dessert Recipes - Best Chocolate Dessert Recipes
- Tax Tips – Tips on How to Pay Less Taxes
Note that the above title tags accomplish three things:
- They help robots understand what is most important about the content on the page by repeating part of the keyword phrases that would be found in article titles and content;
- They make sense to people reading them; and
- By using plurals when sensible, it allows more possible keyword searchers (both on singular and plural or major keywords).
How Long Should a Meta Title Be in Length?
Generally, a title should be long enough to be clear; short enough to avoid being “truncated.” Truncation happens when a title is too long. Search engine robots will only read so many characters then move on. Different search engines read different numbers of characters but if you keep your titles less than 150 characters you will keep most major search engine robots happy.Tips on How to Create Meta Titles
When creating meta titles:
- Do repeat keyword phrases;
- Do tie these phrases to your content and other meta data;
- Do use plurals when possible;
- Do limit the use of punctuation; and
- Do use initial caps throughout the title.
