Title tags and meta descriptions are all over the internet, and you see them every time you use your chosen search engine. There are a lot of misconceptions around how to create good ones, so it’s essential to understand how they work and why they’re critical to attracting customers to your content.
So how can you learn the best method to improve your title tags and meta descriptions? We’ll discuss what they are and why it’s necessary to perfect both of them to deliver the most traffic to your website or blog.
What are Title Tags?
Title Tags are an element of HTML that’s displayed as the clickable headline for a Google (or other engines) search result. They’re designed to tell both potential customers and search engines what your page is concerning. These companies also use the Title Tag to rank your page, and they take the accuracy of it seriously. It’s their business aim to provide people with relevant results, so misleading titles are a red flag to companies like Google.
The Title Tags will also be displayed at the top of your browser’s tabs, and anywhere your content appears on social media. First impressions are everything, and that’s another reason Title Tags are equally, if not more, crucial than Meta Descriptions. If you get it wrong, your website will miss out on clicks and rank poorly.
What are Meta Descriptions?
Meta Descriptions are another part of the HTML code that gives a short description of the content of a webpage. It’s not something you will see on the website, but search engines use it as part of the results list underneath the Title Tag. It’s an opportunity to sell your page through clever wording that entices users to click, which is why they shouldn’t be ignored.
Google dropped meta descriptions from their ranking process back in 2009 after website owners figured out that keyword stuffing would get them higher up the list, but that still doesn’t take away from the advertising potential they can offer you if utilized correctly. Failing to optimize your title tags and meta descriptions will severely impact your CTR (click-through rate).
How to Create the Perfect Title Tag
There are some rules you need to think about before going ahead and creating your title tag. Taking Google as an example, the optimum number of characters is 50-60. Any more will often not be displayed in full and is thus missed by the reader. There isn’t a set amount of characters as each one varies in width, but if you stick to that range, there’s a good chance it will be displayed correctly.
There are some other guidelines you should keep in mind to get this right, and we’ll take you through those now.
- Avoid making it all capitals as they are wider and will reduce the number of characters displayed on search engines.
- Keep keywords natural and don’t stuff too many variations into it, or the search engines algorithm will penalize your page by ranking it lower.
- Place Keywords near the beginning of the Tag Title and make sure they’re all unique to that page. Don’t duplicate! If you want to include a brand, do it at the end of the title.
- Make sure it’s accurate to the page or run the risk of high bounce rates. People will click back if your Tag Title is misleading, and that will damage your ranking.
- Remember your customers and get into their mindset. Title Tags are crucial for SEO purposes, but they’re even more critical for attracting clients to your website.
- Try to use the pipe character ( | ) to separate the title if it makes sense, and replace the word ‘and’ with ‘&.’
Here are some examples of optimized Title Tags:
- 8 Ways to Optimize Your Title Tags | Captain Words
- Best Dishwashers 2020 | Bosch | Hotpoint | GE
- How to Save Money Explained | Get on Top of Your Finances
- Confused About SEO? | 10 Tips & Tricks to Increase Traffic
- What is Fintech? 10 Ways it Can Improve your Business
How to Create the Perfect Meta Description
Title tags and meta descriptions have similar rules when it comes to creating good ones. The optimum number of characters for meta descriptions is higher, and they should not exceed 160 to avoid being cut off. Let’s take a look at the steps you should follow to make sure you’re attracting clicks.
- Keep it concise and as accurate as possible to ensure you’re not misleading people.
- Include your primary keyword(s), but don’t overdo it by stuffing.
- Include a call to action in the description (CTA). ‘Try it now’, ‘check this out’, ‘read on to find out more’, ‘we have good news for you’ are all excellent examples.
- If they work with the context of the page, then use special characters to add interest and increase your CTR.
- Keep it accurate and useful for your customers; the same rules you used for Title Tags apply to Meta Descriptions, too.
Here are some examples of good Meta Descriptions based on the example Title Tags above:
- Title Tags are essential to your SEO optimization, but how can you create the best headlines? We’ve researched for you. Join us & find out more.
- We know how critical your dishwasher is, but choosing the right one is challenging | Check out our in-depth review of the best dishwashers 2020 today.
- Life is stressful enough without mismanaging your money, but how can you take simple steps to improve your finances? Read on to get the answer you seek.
- SEO can be confusing with so many misconceptions on the web. We’ve cut through the waffle to give you the answers in our complete SEO guide. Check it out now!
- Everybody’s talking about FinTech, but what is it & how can you use it in business? We’ve broken down the top 10 methods of using FinTech to your advantage.
The Verdict
Title tags and meta descriptions don’t have to be a mystery if you take some time to learn about creating the best ones for both SEO and your customers. Remember that your most essential stakeholders are your audience and not the search engines themselves. If you follow the steps we’ve outlined above, you can guarantee your traffic and CTR will increase.
Don’t wait any longer; start improving your Title tags and meta descriptions today!
