How you write your title tag is as much art as it is science. You want to write something attractive enough for a user to click on, but also write something that contains the keywords you wish to rank for. Notice in the image below how Google will almost always try to find an exact match to your search first, and then list results which appear to be similarly related. This is a very common occurrence in a search results page.
So how do you start writing better title tags for SEO? Here are a few tips:
1. Do a bit of research on the keyword, and check Google Instant. The easiest thing for you to do is go and search for what you are writing about in Google, and if you have Google Instant turned on, you will immediately see what Google is serving up for suggestions based on what you are typing in. It might not be a bad idea to choose the words as they appear in one of the suggestions. If you want to do more advanced research, check the Google External Keyword Tool for more suggestions with search volume.
2. Put the keyword you wish to rank for up front, not in the end. Notice again in the search results how the first listings have the word or phrase immediately in the title tag. If you put it in the end, like “Pear Analytics SEO Tools | How To Write A Title Tag for SEO”, you run the risk of the important phrases getting cut off. Plus, it’s seen as more “relevant” in the front too.
3. Keep them under 70 characters. After that, they will get truncated by the search engine. Again, you don’t want all of the important stuff in the end of the tag.
4. Avoid tags like these: “Home”, “Your Company Name”, “Index” or anything else that is completely irrelevant and does not indicate what the page is about.
