What Is a Title Tag? How to Optimize Your SEO Titles

What Is a Title Tag?

A rubric tag (or <title> tag) is an HTML element that provides a webpage rubric for hunt engines and net browsers to use. It tin shows up successful 3 cardinal places:

• Search motor results pages (SERPs): The clickable header that appears successful Google hunt results
• Link previews: When the nexus is shared via societal media oregon messaging apps, the rubric tag appears arsenic portion of the preview
• Browser tabs: The substance displayed astatine the apical of the browser tab

This is what a rubric tag tin looks similar successful each 3 locations:

The superior intent of a rubric tag is to springiness discourse astir the page's contented to some users and hunt engines. 

Title tags springiness users a preview of what the leafage is about, which tin assistance them determine whether to click connected the result.

They provides hunt engines with an overview of the webpage’s content. Helping hunt motor crawlers amended recognize the page’s context.

Title tags are important for some SEO and user experience. Here are 4 main reasons:

• They tin impact your SEO rankings. Because hunt engines, specified arsenic Google, usage them to recognize what your leafage is astir and however applicable that leafage is to each idiosyncratic query.
• They tin look successful hunt results. Which means they tin power the fig of clicks you get (or your click-through rate). And searchers’ cognition of your brand.
• They tin look successful nexus previews. On societal media, messaging apps (like Slack), etc. If the rubric is missing oregon poorly optimized, users whitethorn beryllium little apt to click through.
• They look successful browser tabs. And assistance users find the close leafage erstwhile aggregate tabs are open. This tin straight interaction idiosyncratic experience.

Now that we’ve laid retired wherefore rubric tags matter, let’s speech astir getting the magnitude conscionable right.

How Long Should a Title Tag Be?

Title tags should beryllium betwixt 50 and 60 characters (or 550 px) long.

That said, there’s nary strict quality bounds for rubric tags.

SEO professionals mostly urge shorter rubric tags due to the fact that longer ones tin get truncated (i.e., chopped off) oregon rewritten by Google erstwhile displayed successful hunt results.

And a truncated rubric tag doesn’t ever convey the connection you privation it to. Or pull clicks.

For example, this rubric tag got chopped disconnected and present says, “Exploring The Future Of …” which doesn’t marque a batch of sense.

So we urge keeping your rubric tag little portion inactive giving readers and hunt engines capable accusation astir your leafage content.

4 Steps to Write a Good SEO Title Tag

Search engines similar Google rewrite rubric tags if they don’t afloat lucifer the contented oregon idiosyncratic intent. 

While you can’t wholly power however Google displays your title, you tin summation the chances of your rubric showing up arsenic intended.

Follow these steps to constitute rubric tags that are some SEO-friendly and applicable to users:

1. Look astatine the Titles of Top-Ranking Search Results

Google your people keyword and observe the titles of the top-ranking results.

Pay attraction to the types of titles performing well. This volition springiness you an thought of what rubric tags hunt engines similar for that circumstantial keyword.

Observe however apical results operation their titles. Do they usage numbers oregon circumstantial words to entreaty to users?

Let’s accidental you’re targeting "best task absorption tools."

A speedy Google hunt shows that top-ranking results person the pursuing characteristics:

• They see the words “best task absorption software”
• They incorporate a twelvemonth (2024 oregon 2025)

From that analysis, you whitethorn reason that including the twelvemonth successful your website rubric tag mightiness beryllium a astute move.

That said, debar making your rubric excessively akin to competitors’ titles. Instead, absorption connected penning a unsocial and engaging rubric that captures users' interests, encourages clicks, and describes your content.

2. Include Your Primary Keyword successful Your Title

Including your superior keyword successful your rubric tells some hunt engines and readers what your contented is about.

For example, if your superior keyword is "on-page SEO," including the nonstop keyword, "On-Page SEO," successful your rubric tag makes the intent of the leafage instantly wide to some users and hunt engines.

It besides makes it easier for users to find the leafage they’re looking for successful their browser tabs. 

But instrumentality to 1 people keyword successful the rubric tag. 

Cramming aggregate keywords into a rubric (a signifier of keyword stuffing) tin wounded your rankings. That’s due to the fact that hunt engines similar Google presumption this arsenic spammy behaviour and whitethorn penalize your page.

Even Google’s authoritative guidelines pass against keyword stuffing.

For example, this leafage rubric crams successful 3 antithetic keywords: "weighted blankets," "blankets," and "affordable weighted blankets":

You can screen different applicable terms. Just marque definite to bash it much naturally.

Like this:

3. Use Descriptive and Concise Language

Using descriptive connection successful your rubric tags helps readers and hunt engines amended recognize the discourse of the webpage.

Concise language, connected the different hand, helps you support your rubric tag betwixt the perfect 50 to 60 characters oregon 550 px long. So your rubric tags don’t get chopped disconnected connected the results leafage oregon rewritten by Google.

Here are immoderate tips to keeping your rubric tag descriptive and concise:

• Use elemental connection to picture the leafage content
• Avoid repeating words oregon adding unnecessary details
• Don’t usage each caps, arsenic uppercase letters instrumentality up much abstraction and tin marque the rubric harder to read
• Only see your marque sanction if it’s necessary
• Use symbols similar “&” alternatively of “and” to prevention space
• Choose narrower separators similar colons (:) oregon pipes (|) alternatively of hyphens (-) oregon dashes (—) to prevention space

For example, if you’re penning a blog station astir fittingness tips for beginners:

❌ Too vague: "Fitness Tips"

❌ Too agelong and includes unnecessary phrases: "The 10 Most Amazing Fitness Tips for Beginners Who Want to Exercise astatine Home"

✅ Good: "Fitness Tips for Beginners: Easy Workouts & Nutrition Advice"

This improved rubric tag entices users to click. And provides hunt engines with much-needed discourse astir the webpage.

4. Make Your Title Tag and H1 Similar

Make your rubric tag and H1 tag similar, if not the same, truthful arsenic not to confuse hunt engines and readers.

The H1 tag is an HTML heading tag utilized to make the main rubric oregon item the superior taxable of a webpage.

It appears connected the webpage itself arsenic the disposable header for users. Like this:

If a searcher clicks connected a rubric tag connected the results leafage and lands connected a leafage with a drastically antithetic H1 tag, they mightiness get confused. Which isn’t the champion idiosyncratic experience.

Bonus: Find Title Tag Issues connected Your Site

Find issues with your website's rubric tags (and different important tract elements) utilizing Semrush’s Site Audit tool.

The instrumentality identifies the pursuing rubric tag problems:

• Duplicate rubric tags: Occurs erstwhile 2 oregon much pages person the aforesaid title
• Missing rubric tags: Identifies pages without immoderate title
• Too agelong oregon excessively abbreviated rubric tags: Flags rubric tags that transcend oregon autumn abbreviated of the perfect length

To commencement monitoring issues, motorboat the instrumentality and spell done the setup process (if you haven’t already).

Then, spell to the “Issues” tab. And hunt for “title tag” to spot if your tract has immoderate errors related to rubric tags.

Click connected "Why and however to hole it" adjacent to each contented to get elaborate instructions connected however to resoluteness it.

Optimize Your Title Tags and Improve Your On-Page SEO

Optimizing webpages for hunt is astir acold much than rubric tag SEO.

Follow our on-page SEO checklist to marque definite you don’t miss a thing.

Or get tailored recommendations with Semrush’s On Page Checker.