And How You Can Fix Them…..
Title tags are a crucial part of your on-site Search Engine Optimization (SEO), but I can’t tell you how often I come across websites that overlook this vital SEO element. Websites that ignore them are missing out on valuable traffic.
Before moving forward, it’s important that I point out what title tags are. Title tags are the small summaries of information that show up at the top of your browser window.
As well as in the first line of Google search results for a particular web address.
Every content element on your website from pages to posts to video to pictures has a title tag.
But what some website owners don’t understand about title tags is that they are the second most important piece of on-site SEO behind only the actual content on your site.
It’s the first thing Google uses to determine what the particular page, post, video, etc. is about.
That line at the top is valuable real estate for your website.
You’re doing your website a grave disservice to not write compelling, keyword rich title tags for each and every content element on your site.
It’s a simple and easy fix that any website owner can resolve especially if you have WordPress.
First, it’s important to point out four best practices for your title tags:
- Include a targeted keyword phrase in each.
- Make sure the tag is relevant to the content (page, post, video, etc.) it is attached to.
- Keep your title tag to under 70 characters. This is the maximum amount that’s displayed in Google search results.
- Include your brand name in the tag.
With these four items in mind, I am going to walk you through how to add title tags to a WordPress website as well as show you what a well written tag looks like.
Step One
The best way to add title tags to any WordPress site is to download, install, and activate the WordPress SEO plugin.
Step Two
Once you have downloaded and installed the SEO plugin, navigate to any page or post.
Step Three
For this article, we will focus our attention only on the general section tab of the Yoast WordPress SEO plugin. In the above picture, you will notice a line labeled: “SEO Title.” This is where you can add your own keyword rich SEO title for this page.
Step Four
The best format for writing your title tag is as follows:
- Primary Keyword – Secondary Keyword – Brand
Google places more weight on the first few words of the title tag so we want to make sure our targeted keywords are placed here.
The only time the brand name is placed at the beginning of a tag is if it’s an established brand name like Macy’s or Nike.
Step Five
In the picture, below I have written in the “SEO Title” box an example of a title tag that follows the correct format. Based on keyword research for this page, my targeted keywords are “Dallas” and “Social Media Marketing.”
You will also notice in the SEO tool that once you type in your title that a preview of what it will look like in Google search results will appear in the “Snippet Preview” box.
Once you’re satisfied with your new title tag, update the page and you’re good to go.
By simply adding a title like this to every piece of content on your site, you’re going to greatly increase the chances of not only Google finding your website, but also helping it naturally rise in your targeted search results.
The title tag is a powerful tool. Stop overlooking it. Let it work for you.