Searching for the Perfect Title Tag

The Title Tag is part of the SEO fundamentals that anyone who has even superficially dealt with the topic of search engine optimization should be familiar with. Nevertheless, an unexpectedly large number of unoptimized page titles can still be found, even on major commercial websites. Gary Illyes from Google responded to a question about the ranking factor, emphasizing once again that meta titles are still important. This has not changed since 2006. Therefore, the topic should still be taken seriously.

Figure 1: Statement from Google on Title Tags as a Ranking Factor

As discussions on many SEO websites prove, there are also uncertainties and debates within the SEO scene itself about what the optimal SEO title should look like. We summarize the basics for you and provide examples of successful and less optimal page titles for different applications.

The Length of the Title Tag

As "best practice", a length of up to 65 characters is generally considered ideal. The main reason for this is: in search results, Google generally shows no more than 65 characters, sometimes even less. Although there are examples where Google displays more characters for long search queries, this is more the exception. Thus, 65 characters or the pixel width is still considered a guideline. In this case, 569 pixels should not be exceeded. For example, the letter "m" occupies more pixel width than the letter "i".

This ideal is not without its problems: within 65 characters or 569 pixels, spaces, the brand, and individual information about the page must be accommodated. Especially with long product names in online shops or longer article headlines on news sites, the scope of 65 characters can be quickly exceeded. This doesn't necessarily have dramatic consequences, as Google indexes about 150 characters, in some cases significantly more. Even if the excess characters are no longer visible in the search results, they are still considered.

So what speaks against long SEO title tags? It is generally known that Google gives higher importance to keywords at the beginning of the page title. A meta title with a large number of keywords runs the risk of diluting the relevance of individual keywords. Furthermore, keywords that appear in 10th, 20th, or 30th position in the page title are hardly rated as significant. Anyone dealing with search engine optimization knows that the number of generic keywords that a single page can be optimized for is very limited. It is rarely sensible to optimize for more than one or two strong keywords. So why bloat the page title with ten more keywords? In this context, the utility of overly long SEO title tags should be viewed critically.

Even in light of the increasing importance of social media, long title tags are simply impractical, difficult to share on Twitter, appear spammy, and are likely to be shared less.

HTML Title Tag in the Source Code: 

The HTML title tag is included in the header section of the page:

<title>
Micro Sparrow X4 E-Scooter Kids Buy Online | fahrrad.de
</title>

Structure of the Title Tag

As explained above, the most important keyword should appear as early as possible in the title tag, as the position is seen by search engines as a clear signal. From a user perspective, it is also advisable to choose the meta title identical to the h1 heading. In search results, the page title draws enough attention to create certain expectations in the user. If the main heading deviates significantly from the page title, this can lead to uncertainty at best, and leaving the page at worst. The brand is found at the end of the title tag for many websites, and for good reason: at this point, it is visible and helps with branding, without hindering the optimization of the title for the most important keywords placed at the beginning.

The following will highlight specific application examples and solutions for an optimal structure of the meta titles.

Emphasizing the Brand in the Title Tag: If the branding effect on a website is particularly important, such as on a company site, it may be quite sensible not to place the brand at the end. If the page title on individual pages exceeds 65 characters, the brand disappears in the search results. In such cases, title tags like

[Main Keyword] at [Brand Name] – [Other Keywords]

are a good solution. In an online shop that places great value on the brand, the meta title tag could be:

[Product Name] from [Brand] – [Call to Action]

Short brand names have a clear advantage here, as they take up few characters in the title tag and leave more room for keywords:

Figure 2: OBI uses the page title as a Call to Action

SEO Title Tag in Online Shops: Product pages in online shops are a special case because they not only inform but also aim to prompt their visitors to purchase. For a high click-through rate in unpaid search results, it may be worth including a short call to action in the title tag. Discounts or special offers can also increase the click-through rate, provided that the expectations raised are actually met on the respective landing page. The product name should be placed at the beginning of the page title to ensure that the search engine attaches the highest relevance to it. The call to action is then placed before or after the brand, for example:

[Product Name] – [Call to Action] at [Brand]

If the brand does not play a role, it can be omitted, leaving more characters for a more detailed product name. Figure 3: Mister Spex leaves out the brand name - The title tag offers a lot of potential due to its length

Meta Title Tags on Paginated Pages: The topic of Pagination of Websites is not problematic only for duplicate content reasons in the page content. Often, all pages of an article that spans multiple URLs have exactly the same title tag. The same applies to the result pages of product categories in an online shop. If there is no "view all" page offered to the search engine (with the help of the canonical tag) as the preferred page, all paginated pages should at least differ by specifying the page number. It is common to append the page number as an add-on to the page title:

[Page Title] – Page X

The first page does not receive this add-on. To give the first page the highest relevance to the respective topic, the page number may be placed at the beginning of the page title. For article pages, it may also be advisable to give each paginated page an individual page title formed from the first subheadline of the page. This approach may require more effort and optimization of the subheadlines but can pay off in practice.

Special Characters in Title Tags

Using special characters in meta titles or meta descriptions is generally not straightforward. On one hand, the SERPs in the search results can be visually boosted and more noticeable, but on the other hand, it can appear sloppy and affect the readability of the title tag. It's a very fine line.

But are special characters even allowed? How does Google view this? Almost a year ago, there was a statement by John Mueller on this topic. Figure 4: Statement from Google on the use of special characters in meta titles

Google apparently doesn't mind if, aside from the special character for separating the brand, other special characters like "*" or "#" are used. A user asked if there was anything against using special characters beyond "-" or "|" in the title and if characters like "*", "#", or "%" could be used.

In conclusion, it can be said that the title tag still plays an important role for Google and should not be ignored. Optimized title tags should also continue to be monitored, e.g., whether Google adopts the optimized title in the SERPs or if adjustments need to be made again.

Do you need professional support in optimizing your website or online shop? We would be happy to assist you and manage all optimization measures as per your request, from analysis to the implementation of SEO measures. Get in contact!