Last updated on September 18th, 2023
What was the first thing you read about this webpage before clicking?
Was it our website name? The description of the blog? Or is the title in bold?
It was the title, wasn’t it?
The title that you read before clicking on our link is called the title of your website or title tag. The title “SEO Fundamentals: What Is A Website Title?” intrigued you and made you click on our webpage. This makes it a very important aspect to ace for us.
Your title of the website is the first impression on any reader, which is why it’s crucial to make it right. Find ahead in this simple guide what a website title actually is, why it is important for UX and SEO, and how you can write it to be its most efficient self.
What Is A Website Title?
A website title, or a title tag, is an HTML element that helps you understand the webpage’s content. It is the first thing users read when they see your website link on the SERP. Here’s what a website title looks like on the SERP:
In the above picture, the text written in blue, saying “What Is HTML? Hypertext Markup Language Basics..” and “What is HTML? Definition of Hypertext Markup Language” are the website titles of the respective websites.
The title tag helps both the users and search engines identify the context of the website. It is how your website link appears everywhere. This makes website titles an important part of your On-Page SEO and, in fact, SEO in general. Hence, it is crucial to optimize them for ranking higher and getting more clicks.
Benefits Of Optimizing Your Website Title
Having an optimized title is crucial for your website’s SEO. Website title is how your website appears on the SERP, in open tabs, and on social media when your link is shared. Read along to find in detail how having a well-written website title can help your website:
- Improved Search Engine Ranking:
Optimizing your website titles for SEO helps you rank your website higher in the SERPs. According to a Google update released in 2021, it was conveyed that title elements are used 87% of the time to determine website content. Title tags are also the way your website is showcased everywhere on the web.
Along with showing up on the SERP, this is how website titles are displayed on open tabs:
Titles are the first impression of your website for users and search engines and the medium through which your website is recognized on the web. Well-written website titles also lead to easier crawling and indexing by search engine bots. The better you optimize it, the higher your chances of ranking.
- Enhanced Click-Through Rates (CTR):
Your website’s click-through rate, or the number of impressions your website has, is simply the number of people who clicked on your website link. A higher click-through rate directly means a higher number of visitors to your website, which is the end result we all desire.
Website titles, when well-written and catchy, help in improving your CTR and driving traffic to your website. Lengthy and non-informative titles can lead to users skipping your website in the SERP. Optimized website titles help users identify if the website is relevant to them. Hence, good website titles also result in a better user experience.
Best Practices For Creating An Effective Website Title
Titles aren’t difficult to ace. They are simply short descriptions of your website content. However, if done wrong, you can drive away potential traffic. Learn how to write them better here:
- Be Clear And Concise:
The ideal length for a title, or title tag, is 50-60 characters. A disadvantage of writing a longer website title is that the end of it might get cut off and end up looking like this:
This way, your website misses out on conveying the full message to the audience. Search engines also prefer a clear and concise website title. Make sure to directly convey what the website is about.
- Use Relevant Keywords:
If we’re talking about SEO, we’re always talking about keywords. It is important to include your target keyword in the title of your website. Including the target keyword at the beginning of your website, and title helps capture the reader’s attention more quickly. Along with this, it also makes it easier for the search engine to connect the user query with your website.
- Make It Unique:
Creating a unique title tag for each of your web pages helps the search engine understand the context of the content better and also helps it differentiate between different keywords. This results in easier crawling and indexing of your website, making it important for optimization. Duplicate title tags confuse the crawler and might affect your website rankings.
- Consider Branding:
It’s a good idea to add the name of your brand at the end of your title tag. This way, whenever your website pops up on the SERP, the readers keep reading the name of your brand. The name stays in their mind and creates brand awareness and credibility.
- Avoid Keyword Stuffing:
Keyword stuffing in your title tag is unnatural and not appealing to read. Search engine algorithms also don’t cater to websites with keyword stuffing. Take this blog as an example. Instead of writing “What Is A Website Title?: Website Title Definition & Website Title SEO Importance,” we named it “SEO 101: What Is A Website Title? – Wittypen”, which is much easier to understand.
- Be Compelling:
Make your title tag more compelling by writing titles using descriptive words and copywriting. As the website title is the first thing a user sees regarding your website, it is important to write it as catchy and attractive. The more descriptive the website title is, the more the users are inclined to click on it.
- Test And Refine:
Using SEO analytics tools like Rank Math to test the performance and SEO strength of your title tag is a great way to improve your title tag. Here is a screenshot of Rank Math telling about the SEO performance of the title tag of my last blog:
Adding power words, sentimental words, and numbers to your title tag are great ways to improve your SEO score.
Summing Up
Titles are a small part of the wide landscape of SEO, but it’s a mistake to take them lightly. They’re how your website content is represented to readers and search engines. Writing website titles between 50-60 characters with attractive titles is the safest way to ensure higher rankings.
Coming up with titles is also a great way to show your readers your creativity. If coming up with good titles and creating quality content is something your brand is struggling with, outsource your content needs to Wittypen.
Wittypen is equipped with experienced SEO content writers and website content writers who will help your brand scale its growth in no time.
FAQs
1. Why is a website title important for SEO?
It is important for SEO as it helps search engines recognize your website’s content and link it with the search keyword and your web page’s target keyword. It also helps users understand if your website content is relevant to them, which enhances user experience.
2. How to create an effective website title?
These are a few steps to create an effective website title:
- Be clear and concise while writing your website title
- Use relevant keywords at the beginning of your website title
- Make it unique, and don’t let there be duplicates
- Consider adding your brand name
- Avoid keyword stuffing
- Use SEO tools to test and refine
3. What is the ideal length for a website title?
The ideal length for a title tag is 50-60 characters. Anything longer than 60 characters has the chance to get cut off at the end of the SERP, which results in the brand not being able to convey its message completely.
4. How does the title impact search engine rankings?
An optimized title improves the On-Page SEO of the website and enhances user experience. It is the way your website is showcased everywhere on the web, and hence a well-written website title leads to easier crawling and indexing by Google bot, which results in chances of ranking higher.
5. Can I change the title of an existing webpage?
Yes, you can change the title of an existing webpage. You can do that by editing the HTML code of your website or by editing it in the control panel of your website.
