What is a title tag and why is it important?

The title tag is one of the central elements of search engine optimization strategy, and one that is the most commonly used, easily modified and optimized. If you're new to HTML, it can be somewhat confusing. But if there's any HTML tag you absolutely have to know, it's the title tag. Basically, the title tag names your website and tells search engines what it is.

It's represented in code like this:

< title > your title here < / title >

It's one of the first things search engines analyze when determining how to rank your page.

Where does the title tag show up?

Each page on a website contains a title tag. As you've probably noticed, the title you put in the tag doesn't show up within the text of the website itself. The title tag is what appears in the headline of snippets on search engine results pages, or SERPS. In addition, whatever you put in the title tag will end up on the top of your browser or whatever tab you have it open in. The title is also what will show up when someone chooses to share your website on Facebook or another social platform. All told, this makes the title tag one of the vital parts of SEO.

Why is it important?

Just like any other page element, you can write your title tags with SEO in mind and optimize them for search engines. There are several elements to this. Because both humans and algorithms will be using it, you have to craft your title tag to be easily legible for both. This makes writing a title tag both an art and a science. Since the title tag is what shows up in SERPs, it's important that it accurately reflects what the page is about to encourage people to click on it. It also needs have keywords that tell search engines what the page is about.

The title is the first chance you get as an ecommerce merchant to grab the attention of potential customers and stand apart from the competition. A poorly written title tag can reduce click throughs, which is an element that search engines use in their rankings.

What should go in the title tag?

To make the most of a title tag, it should be between 50 and 60 characters. Anything longer could get cut off in the SERPs. A title tag should be written with keywords pertaining to each specific page (1). In general, it's better not to use too many different keywords for one page (2). Users should experiment with putting it at the beginning and end to determine which has the biggest impact to overall organic traffic and click through rates.

1. Google

2. Inside View