Page titles have been a cornerstone of on-page optimization for over 20 years. But how you should write and use titles for SEO has changed dramatically.
In this 2,800+ word guide, we‘ll cover everything you need to know about optimizing titles to boost rankings, traffic, and engagement in 2023 and beyond.
You‘ll learn:
What page titles are and why they are critical for SEO
Title tag best practices and recommendations
Expert insights on recent Google title algorithm changes
Tips for improving click-through-rate (CTR)
Tools for monitoring titles and search snippets
Special title considerations for WordPress sites
Let‘s start with the basics…
What Is a Page Title?
The page title, also known as the title tag, is an HTML element that defines the text that appears in three key places:
The browser tab displaying a web page
Search engine results pages (SERPs)
External sites linking to that page
For example, if we look at the Moz homepage, we see their title tag content "Moz: SEO Software for Smarter Marketing" displayed in the browser tab:
The title tag lives in the HTML section of a web page and looks like this:
<title>Moz: SEO Software for Smarter Marketing</title>
The text inside the
tags is what visitors see in their browser tab and search engines display in results.
<h2><span id="Why_Page_Titles_Matter_for_SEO">Why Page Titles Matter for SEO</span></h2>
<p>There are three core reasons properly optimized page titles are essential:</p>
<h3><span id="1_Page_Context_for_Search_Engines">1. Page Context for Search Engines</span></h3>
<p>Page titles serve as a signal to search engines about the topic and purpose of a page.</p>
<p>Google and Bing rely heavily on titles when crawling, indexing, and ranking web pages. An informative title helps them understand what each page focuses on.</p>
<h3><span id="2_Snippets_in_Search_Engine_Results">2. Snippets in Search Engine Results</span></h3>
<p>Search engines also use page titles to generate the title text and snippets for listing pages in results:</p>
<p><img decoding="async" src="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%200%200'%3E%3C/svg%3E" data-lazy-src="serp-snippet-example.png"><noscript><img decoding="async" src="serp-snippet-example.png"></noscript></p>
<p>A compelling title that makes searchers want to click can improve click-through-rate (CTR).</p>
<h3><span id="3_Usability_on_External_Sites">3. Usability on External Sites</span></h3>
<p>When other sites link to your content, they typically use your page‘s title text as the anchor text.</p>
<p>This helps users better understand where a link will take them before clicking.</p>
<p>So in summary – page titles have a direct impact on:</p>
<ul>
<li>How search engines interpret and rank your pages</li>
<li>Click-through-rate from search listings </li>
<li>Usability on sites linking to your content</li>
</ul>
<p>Now let‘s move on to actually optimizing titles…</p>
<h2><span id="Page_Title_Best_Practices_and_Recommendations">Page Title Best Practices and Recommendations</span></h2>
<p>Here are the most important current best practices to follow when optimizing title tags:</p>
<h3><span id="1_Unique_Titles_for_Each_Page">1. Unique Titles for Each Page</span></h3>
<p>Every page on your site should have a unique title relevant to the content on that page.</p>
<p>Don‘t use your site name or similar generic text across all pages.</p>
<h3><span id="2_Compelling_Headline_Style_Phrasing">2. Compelling Headline Style Phrasing</span></h3>
<p>Instead of dry, factual keyword-focused titles, create compelling headlines optimized for clicks.</p>
<p>For example:</p>
<ul>
<li>Dry: SEO Keyword Research Guide</li>
<li>Compelling: The Complete Guide to SEO Keyword Research</li>
</ul>
<h3><span id="3_Understand_User_Intent_and_Meet_Expectations">3. Understand User Intent and Meet Expectations</span></h3>
<p>Put yourself in the searcher‘s shoes. What would they expect to find based on the query and how can your title meet those expectations?</p>
<p>Tailor titles specifically around likely search intent and goals.</p>
<h3><span id="4_Powerful_Keywords_Early_In_Title">4. Powerful Keywords Early In Title</span></h3>
<p>Place important target keywords and terminology early in the title so they are visible in search snippets.</p>
<h3><span id="5_60-70_Characters_Ideal_Length">5. 60-70 Characters Ideal Length</span></h3>
<p>Google will truncate titles over 70 characters. Very short titles under 40 characters can also hurt CTR. 60-70 is ideal.</p>
<h3><span id="6_Compelling_Call_to_Action_for_Blog_Posts">6. Compelling Call to Action for Blog Posts </span></h3>
<p>Blog headlines that entice readers to click work well. For example "X Ways to…", "How to…", "X Tips for…" etc.</p>
<h2><span id="Recent_Google_Title_Algorithm_Changes">Recent Google Title Algorithm Changes</span></h2>
<p>Google has evolved how it handles titles when crawling, indexing, ranking, and displaying pages over the years. </p>
<p>Some key changes include:</p>
<h3><span id="Less_Reliance_on_Title_Tags_for_Rankings">Less Reliance on Title Tags for Rankings</span></h3>
<p>Google now focuses more on overall page content, user experience signals, and links rather than on-page factors like titles when determining search rankings.</p>
<h3><span id="Generated_Snippets_Instead_of_Verbatim_Titles">Generated Snippets Instead of Verbatim Titles</span></h3>
<p>Google now often creates its own title snippets for search listings instead of using the verbatim page title tag.</p>
<h3><span id="Removal_of_Keyword_Bolding_in_Snippets">Removal of Keyword Bolding in Snippets</span></h3>
<p>Search snippets no longer bold or highlight keyword matches from title tags.</p>
<h3><span id="Priority_on_H1_Headers_for_Snippets">Priority on H1 Headers for Snippets</span></h3>
<p>The H1 header on a page may now be selected for snippets instead of title tags.</p>
<p>So in summary – title tags are less directly tied to rankings than historically, but still provide critical page context and influence click-through-rate.</p>
<h2><span id="Title_Tag_Tips_for_Improving_Click-Through-Rate">Title Tag Tips for Improving Click-Through-Rate</span></h2>
<p>Though less directly influential for rankings, compelling title tags can still substantially impact CTR.</p>
<p>Here are some key tips for writing titles focused on earning more clicks:</p>
<h3><span id="Numbers_Drive_Clicks">Numbers Drive Clicks</span></h3>
<p>Including numbers in titles has been proven to pique interest and increase clicks. For example:</p>
<ul>
<li>"10 Tips for Improving Site Speed"</li>
<li>"The 5 Best SEO Plugins for WordPress"</li>
</ul>
<h3><span id="Ask_Questions">Ask Questions</span></h3>
<p>Titles phrased as questions also tend to earn more clicks by building curiosity.</p>
<h3><span id="Target_Competitor_Keywords">Target Competitor Keywords</span></h3>
<p>Research what terminology competitors rank well for. Optimizing around those terms can help drive more traffic.</p>
<h3><span id="AB_Test_Titles">A/B Test Titles</span></h3>
<p>Try multiple title options using split testing to determine which earn a better CTR from search listings. Refine over time.</p>
<h2><span id="Tools_for_Monitoring_Titles_and_Snippets">Tools for Monitoring Titles and Snippets</span></h2>
<p>It‘s important to monitor how search engines handle your page titles – including if they get truncated or rewritten in snippets.</p>
<p>Helpful tools include:</p>
<h3><span id="Google_Search_Console">Google Search Console</span></h3>
<p>Search Console displays how Google is titling and snippetizing your pages in listings.</p>
<p>You can filter by queries where clicks or impressions have changed to quickly spot issues.</p>
<h3><span id="VisualPing">VisualPing</span></h3>
<p>VisualPing lets you visually monitor search engine result snippet changes over time. It‘s great for ongoing title monitoring. </p>
<h3><span id="Moz_Pro_Campaigns">Moz Pro Campaigns</span></h3>
<p>Moz Campaigns helps track snippet and ranking changes as well as click-through-rate data.</p>
<p>This helps diagnose title tags that may need optimizing to perform better.</p>
<p>Running regular audits of your site‘s title tags and monitoring search snippet performance over time is key for staying on top of changes. </p>
<h2><span id="Special_Title_Considerations_for_WordPress_Sites">Special Title Considerations for WordPress Sites</span></h2>
<p>Managing title tags on WordPress sites has some unique considerations:</p>
<h3><span id="Yoast_SEO_Plugin">Yoast SEO Plugin</span></h3>
<p>The Yoast SEO plugin allows managing titles through its title template customization feature.</p>
<p>This provides more control compared to WordPress‘s default handling of titles.</p>
<h3><span id="Thesis_Theme_Title_Logic">Thesis Theme Title Logic</span></h3>
<p>If using Thesis, its title logic gives theme developers deep control over title generation without needing a separate SEO plugin.</p>
<h3><span id="Title_Display_Plugins">Title Display Plugins</span></h3>
<p>Plugins like SEO Smart Links display the auto-generated WordPress title on posts and pages for reference while editing.</p>
<p>So in summary, WordPress can present some title optimization challenges – but the right plugins and theme choice gives you tools to take control.</p>
<h2><span id="Page_Title_Optimization_Checklist">Page Title Optimization Checklist</span></h2>
<p>Here is a handy checklist covering the key best practices to remember when optimizing title tags:</p>
<ul>
<li>☑️ Unique for every page</li>
<li>☑️ Compelling headline phrasing </li>
<li>☑️ Reflects searcher intent </li>
<li>☑️ Keywords early</li>
<li>☑️ 60-70 characters long</li>
<li>☑️ Call-to-action style for blogs </li>
<li>☑️ Monitor search snippet performance</li>
</ul>
<p>Refer back to this list as you optimize and test new title options for your critical site pages and blog posts over time.</p>
<h2><span id="Title_Tags_Remain_Vital_for_SEO_Success">Title Tags Remain Vital for SEO Success</span></h2>
<p>While page titles may be a bit less directly tied to search rankings than in the past, they remain one of the most influential on-page optimization elements. </p>
<p>Compelling, click-worthy titles formatted specifically around likely searcher intent can still provide a competitive edge by:</p>
<ul>
<li>Helping search engines better understand page content </li>
<li>Increasing click-through-rate</li>
<li>Creating a better experience on sites linking to your content</li>
</ul>
<p>Hopefully this comprehensive guide gives you all the information needed to begin optimizing your page titles for greater visibility, traffic and engagement!</p>
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