What Are Title Tags?

  • Updated On 27, Aug, 2023

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When you’re creating a website, one of the most important things to keep in mind is the title tag. This HTML element might seem small, but it has a big impact! A title tag is an HTML element that specifies the title of a specific web page. It is displayed as the clickable headline for a search result in search engine results pages (SERPs) 1. So it’s like a mini-advertisement, letting people know what your page is about.

Your goal is to write a title that provides a clear, inviting description of what visitors will find on your page. Research what keywords people are likely searching for that would lead them to your content. Only then can you work those in naturally, so your page has a better chance of getting found.

Further Reading : What Is Meta Description

Title Tag HTML Representation

Embedded in the HTML code is the title tag that appears to your customers and on search engines. Your title tag looks different on every corner of the internet, such as social media, search engines, and Google Ads. However, modern and updated CMS (Content Management Systems) 2 put the title tags automatically when you insert the Title.

Your title tag should look like this in the HTML code:

<title>This Is Title Tag HTML Representation</title>

What Is The Importance Of Title Element?

What Are Title Tags

Title tags are one of the essential pillars of search engine optimization, being the frontier of your web page. It is confirmed that title tags are a confirmed ranking factor on search engines. Google, Bing, and other search engines use your title tag to get the idea and context of what your page contains, and how relevant the content is to the searchers’ query. Your tag title is also important on a technical point. It tells browsers how to display your pages’ title in many critical places, mainly social media channels, browser tabs, and search results.

Without a title tag that captures the essence of the page’s content and how it contributes valuable content for your readers, your page will be buried in search engines.

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Social Media Feeds

When an article or a page of yours is shared on any social media channel, it displays an attachment with a title tag of your page and the first line of the content on your page. If the title is missing, not relevant to the context, or confusing, your page will not make sense when it’s shared on social media channels.

Browser Tabs and Search Engines

When you open a website page on a browser, the title shows up top next to your website’s logo. Your title tag should be optimized to fit in the tight space up there while making the most sense.

SEO Title Tag Best Practices

Title tags are an indispensable part of search engine optimization, and as such of any other aspect of SEO, it takes time and practice to come up with the perfect final product. 

Here are our recommendations to keep in mind when you’re trying to come up with attractive and effective title tags.

  • Keep your title tags short and descriptive.
  • Write unique and catchy titles.
  • Use a single keyword for the title.
  • Provide rich information about your page in the title tag.

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Keep You Title Tag Within The Optimal Length

In essence, the optimal length for title tag should be anything between 10 and 70 Characters long. Keep in mind that when you’re writing your title tags, Google will rewrite it if it’s exceeding the limit of 60 characters, and it won’t make sense then. Our specialists recommend that you keep your title descriptive and around 60 characters to achieve best results.


It’s recommended to not use all caps in your title tag. Even if your title doesn’t exceed 60 characters, it still takes the extra spaces and puts you at risk of getting your title cut out.
A general good idea is to avoid writing your brand name in the title unless it’s very necessary.
Another good idea to cheat the system is to use symbols instead of words to save space, such as using “&” instead of “and.”

Craft Unique and Catchy Titles

Here you should utilize the power of your SEO copywriter, as following SEO guidelines to write SEO-friendly title tags is relatively easy, it still takes time and effort to create attractive and one-of-a-kind titles. Your title tags should be unique that help search engines determine what the page is all about. A unique and catchy title tag is sure enough to attract visitors and influence them to click on your page.

Make sure that you’re using specific keywords that describe the product of your page, as the usage of generic keywords, so a title tag for each page should have a specific keyword to help you rank higher and get more conversions.

Use One Keyword Per Each Title

While many people try to stuff as many keywords as possible for their titles and pages, the algorithm doesn’t treat this practice with ease. It was confirmed that using more than primary keyword in a single page title hurts your page’s ranking. And even if it doesn’t hurt your ranking and your SEO plan, it still confuses your customers what the page is actually about, resulting in less conversions.

It’s best to use a single focus keyword in the title tag for each title tag to avoid confusion and decrease your Google ranking.

Title Tag Must Reflect Page’s Content

While you don’t have a lot of space to be creative and provide a lot of information in your title tags, you should still try to add as much information as possible to incorporate what the user is looking for. For example, if your customer is looking for a coffee table, your title should include what kinds of coffee tables you’re selling, what are your unique value propositions, and what’s the next action for your client. 

While we understand that following all of these rules to create a 5-word 60 character title that seems small enough to not contribute to the process of your SEO, our specialists strongly recommend that you follow each and every of these practices to realize more conversions for your website and drive more traffic in total.

Common Mistakes When Creating Title Tags

Nobody is immune from mistakes, and when it comes to crafting such a delicate instrumental gear in the process of ranking your website higher in Google, there’s bound to be some mistake when you’re running the gears of your SEO.

Our SEO specialists at Brandria with their immense experience have compiled a list of the most common mistakes SEO specialists face when writing their descriptive title tags for the web page. Here are what are the common mistakes you might face when crafting title tags and how to fix them:

Missing <title> HTML element in the Web Page

Whether your website is created from scratch, uses a tool like WordPress, or uses website builders such as Wix or SquareSpace, you still need to specify the title tags’ element in the HTML code on your page. Not-so-fun fact: When Google finds your website and detects pages without title tag elements in the HTML code, it indexes them as pages without title and makes up a title on the spot for the page based on the context. This new AI-generated title tag by Google won’t follow the strict rules we mentioned before, won’t follow your brand’s exact tone of voice, and will be nowhere near as catchy as a human-generated headline or title tag.

Title Tag Keyword Stuffing

As we mentioned before on writing a title tag for your page, you should use one primary focus keyword that isn’t cluttered by using different long-tail variations or other focus keywords for other pages on your website. If you’re stuffing keywords for better ranking on Google, you should probably know that it hurts your SEO ranking instead of increasing your search engine rank.

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Overoptimized Title Tag

Strife for perfection can go in the wrong direction. After all, Icarus met his demise for flying too close to the sun. While not as dramatic, your title tags can be overly optimized to the point it rhetorically hurts your SEO ranking. Your title can be too long that Google and other search engines completely dismisses and rewrite it from scratch, or it can be cut off before making sense for customers and prospects, thus causing confusion for potential conversions. 

The opposite is also true in this case. If your title is too short of the 60 characters mark, it wouldn’t make much sense for your prospects. You should have in mind that Google isn’t some sort of savior when it comes to crafting a completely effective title tag, put some work into it to increase your awareness and ranking, and don’t let the machines and bots of Google decide what your title should be.

Using Uncommon or Less Known Abbreviations

Contrary to popular belief, using more abbreviations doesn’t make it easier for your audience to read your title tags, nor does it apply to common SEO rules. Don’t shorten every word you can to cheat the system and add more words while using fewer characters. Always use full-length words for words that have no use to be abbreviated. But keep in mind that many words can be abbreviated such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Do It Yourself (DIY), United Arab Emirates (UAE), or As Soon As Possible (ASAP).

Not Using Localized Search Queries

Even if your business is international, there would be pages in your website that need to be localized for certain geographic locations. For example, if you’re running a pizza shop in Cairo, you need to use keywords such as: Cairo, Downtown, or Maadi. Make it visible for search engines and prospects that your services and products are available to this specific community you’re serving. In perspective, your UX and engagement will improve dramatically.

These mistakes are usually hard to miss, but they’re too important to left untreated. By hiring an SEO agency, you will make sure that a professional SEO specialist, a creative copywriter, and a media buyer will work together to create perfect title tags for your pages that will improve the ranking of your website.

Audit Your Title Tag Periodically

A Regular page title audit throughout the year is a great way to stay on top of your SEO strategy. We suggest using tools like Google Search Console to get a comprehensive view of how your pages are performing.

Google Search Console shows you the keywords and queries bringing traffic to your site. Look at which ones are driving the most clicks and impressions—are they intentional targets or happy accidents? 

Periodic audits keep you ahead of the SEO curve. Be your own biggest fan by consistently reviewing your client’s core strengths. Double down on what’s working and improve what’s not. With some systemized analysis, you can optimize your way to search for success.

In Conclusion

Creating compelling title tags is an art and a science of its own. It takes creativity to craft something concise yet captivating, combined with technical SEO. The goal is titles that speak to both search engines and visitors.

Stay up to date with best practices and keep tinkering to find what resonates. Searcher intent evolves, so periodically revisit old titles with fresh eyes. What was once a knockout may now miss the mark.

In the end, compelling title tags come from understanding your audience and communicating clearly.

Abovementioned Glossary

  1. SERPS : Search Engine Ranking Pages are list of results returned from search engines, triggered by search query or search phrase or keyword. ↩︎
  2. CMS : Content Management System or CMS for short , is software or program developed for the sole purpose of ease of managing the creation and modification of your digital assets (Contents) like text, multimedia, or any type of content. ↩︎