As a business owner, you need to understand that beyond having a website and creating content, you need the right strategy to get your content across to the right audience and potential customers.
In other words, your website doesn’t hold much value if it isn’t properly optimized for search engines.
To get this right, there are a lot of elements you need to pay attention to. Aside from fixing other things, you should also ensure that your website title is well optimized.
Unfortunately, not a lot of people know this and often wonder, what’s the meaning of a website title? Some mistake it for their article titles while others take it so lightly and haven’t really had a full grasp of how powerful a web title is.
Well, you’ve come to the right place. This article will answer the question, “What is a website title?” and also state the difference between a website title and an article title.
I’ll also take you on a step-by-step guide on how to create an optimized website title and how important it is for your business growth and efficiency.
Without much ado, let’s dive in!
What is a website title?
A website title, otherwise known as the title tag is the HTML tag that helps search engines to figure out what a web page is all about and be able to bring it up whenever a user types in a relevant search query. SEO specialists call it the “Meta Title”.
They are usually located at the top of your browser tab or window. And in search results, they are displayed in bold hyperlinked texts. Below is what a title tag looks like on a browser window:
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On the other hand, here is what a website title looks like on search results:
So, you see, without this title, a search engine can’t decipher what your web page is all about. Your audience won’t be able to reach you because your content would be lost.
There are a lot of articles flying around the web and you want to make sure that yours stand out. Though the general rule is to leave your web title between 50 – 65 characters long and make sure that they are not only clear and concise but also very descriptive and captures the whole essence of your content.
Only when this is done would search engine algorithms determine whether the page is relevant to the keyword inputted.
I’ll give a more elaborate description later on in this article but for now, let’s see the core difference between a website title and an article title.
What is the difference between a website title and an article title?
A website title and an article title may look similar and often cut through each other in their definitions but they are different and serve separate purposes. But one fact stays clear, the titles help to describe the essence of your web page and website to search engines and ultimately, your audience.
To ensure that you’re not mixing both titles up, here are the differences to keep an eye on:
Appearance
Primarily, the website title appears at the top of your browser and doesn’t even form part of the page’s main content. It’s the first title you see on search engines when you type in a keyword.
On the other hand, an article title is a title you see once you click on any of the search results presented by Google. The text is the most prominent on the web page. Here is an example:
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Also, a website title contains between 60-75 characters while an article title has about 50 characters.
Purpose
Basically, a website title serves to enable Google and other search engines to understand what your page is all about and then uses the information gathered to display your website in search results when people search for a specific keyword. Also, when your web page is bookmarked, the web title becomes the default title.
In other words, a website title is specifically for search engine optimization. That’s why it usually contains keywords that will enhance the page’s ranking. On the other hand, an article title is meant to draw people in or entice and motivate them to read your article.
Why does a Website Title Matter in Search Engine Optimization?
Moz was clear when they stated, “Title tags are the second most important on-page factor for SEO after content.” Title tags albeit seemingly small and insignificant can either make or mar your brand or website.
It’s usually the first thing people see before visiting your website and if it’s not enticing or fascinating enough, your audience will click back. Your web title is your brand’s message to the world. So you want to pay attention to getting it right.
There are three major reasons why website titles are very important in three areas and they include:
As I mentioned previously, when your audience visits your page, the web title usually appears at the top of their browser, acting as a placeholder to ensure that they don’t miss your content especially when they have a lot of tabs open.
Also, when your title has important and relevant keywords, it’s easy for people to quickly locate your page.
Regarding social media, website titles are what your audience will see when you share your page link on any of your social media handles. It’s way better than just sharing the link.
If you have ever tried to share an external link on your Facebook page, you’ll notice that the moment you copy and post the link on your dashboard, it automatically generates a preview before or after you share the post. Here is an example:
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The highlighted text above appeared immediately after I posted the link. If you have paid close attention, you’ll notice that posts like this generate more engagement because then, people have an idea of what to expect once they click the link.
It also makes your brand page more organized and professional.
Finally, a website title is very important if you want your post to appear on search engine search results. Beyond that, if the title isn’t captivating enough and your post is ranking high, chances are that your audience wouldn’t click to read your work.
Your title should succinctly capture their search intention.
How to Write a Highly Optimized Website Title?
Use shorter titles
This is a no-brainer and the first step toward creating an optimized web title. Aside from being super easy for people to read and grasp, it also makes it faster for search engines to crawl into your page.
Generally, the required character length for an ideal web title is between 50 – 65 characters. And if it’s longer than this, the search engine usually replaces the missing words with ellipses (…) which doesn’t look so good.
Ideally, your readers or audience should see the whole title to enable them to decide if they want to read the article.
As much as this is the general rule, Moz suggested that “…the exact display limit of a website title can be based on a 600-pixel container”. This means that some alphabets like “W” usually take more space.
So, if your title contains more “W” characters, chances are, you’ll need to reduce your title to 40 characters or even less. You should also try to avoid using an all-caps title as it will accommodate more space and certainly doesn’t look good on search engines.
Rightly place your keywords
If you want to get the best ranking results, it’s advisable to have your main keyword placed organically at the beginning of your title. Aside from that, people usually scan just the first two words of titles and move on.
So, you want to make sure that they see the keywords first. If done otherwise, chances are that search engines might cut off the keywords and replace them with ellipses which will deliver poor results in the end.
Also, bear in mind that your brand name isn’t so important and so should be placed at the end of the title.
Don’t overuse the keywords
Using the same keyword multiple times in your title will land you in trouble with the search engines. According to Moz, “Google will penalize you if you stuff your website title with keywords.” It generally creates a bad user experience.
The benefit of your content should be clear
Bear in mind that you are not only writing for search engines but also for humans. And remember what they say about first impressions and how they matter the most.
Your website title helps you to communicate to your audience and search engine that your web page has valuable and unique content. To achieve this, the title needs to hold a reader’s attention at first sight that they would want to visit the site and read the rest of the article.
This doesn’t mean you should deceive people. It simply means that you should communicate succinctly the benefit of the information your content embodies.
Adding a call to action at the end of the title also helps to trigger audience engagement in your post.
How to Create Website Title on WordPress?
Creating a website title on WordPress is as easy as pie. You only need the right plug-in to get started and in this case – A Yoast SEO Plugin will deliver amazingly well.
The plugin is powerful and allows you to get the best out of your site’s search engine optimization. Simply download the plugin from your WordPress dashboard and activate it when you are done.
After working on your post or page, scroll down to the bottom of the page or post, and you will get a prompt asking you to enter the site title and meta description. Here is a sample:
Now, edit the site title, bearing in mind the rules we discussed previously. I love that Yoast SEO gives you a preview of your web title and how it will appear on search engines.
So, if it’s longer than expected, you’ll see it. Once that is done and you have concluded on other SEO strategies, then you can confidently publish your content.
Wrapping Up
If you want to record tremendous success in your ranking on search engines, focusing on your website title and using the right strategy to get it right is one of the major steps.
