Title tag

Why it matters

The title is one of the strongest signals of what a page is about, and it is the first thing a searcher reads. A clear title that matches the query gets more clicks from the same ranking position.

Writing a good title

Put the main topic first, in the words people search for. Keep it to about 50 to 60 characters so it is not cut off in results. Make each page's title unique. Add the brand at the end if there is room. Write for people: a title stuffed with keywords looks like spam and gets fewer clicks.

When Google rewrites it

Google sometimes shows a different headline than the title tag, often taken from the page's main heading, when it judges the title too long, vague or repetitive. Titles that describe the page accurately and match the H1 are rewritten less often.

Titles across a site

On a site with many similar pages, such as tools or listings, build titles from a template that puts the specific part first: the tool's name, the product's name, the platform. Check that no two pages end up with the same title, since duplicate titles make it hard for search engines to choose between them.

Example

"Home | Acme" becomes "Invoicing Software for Freelance Designers | Acme", which says what the page offers and contains the words customers search for.

Questions people ask

How long should a title tag be?

About 50 to 60 characters. Longer titles are cut off in search results, and the cut often falls on the brand or the key phrase.

Is the title tag the same as the H1?

No. The title tag appears in search results and the browser tab; the H1 is the main heading on the page. They should agree, but can be worded differently.