(In this article, I talk about the importance of HTML Title tags for Search Engine Optimization. It’s one of a recurring theme of posts I’ve written in an effort to introduce the fundamentals of SEO…)
One of the missions we take seriously here at Splat is the commitment we feel to client education. “Knowledge is Power,” we like to think. (When we’re subject to the laziness of talking in cliches…) More than that, though, knowledge also bridges gaps in understanding. And that helps us better explain our services and why they cost what they cost.
Search Engine Optimization is often regarded as an arcane black art by new clients of ours. When we begin any new client relationship, then, we make an effort to give an overview of what SEO entails and some of its fundamentals. One easy-to-grasp principle is the significance of the HTML Title Tag.
The Title Tag, very simply, is what a website visitor sees in the tab of their browser window every time they visit a new web page. How important is the Title Tag? In a word:
Which brings us to our first major point.
- Every page should have its own unique Title Tag.
Newcomers to SEO often suffer from the perception that entire websites get “optimized” for search. In fact, though,
- Keywords should appear as close to the beginning of the Title Tag as possible.
- Keywords should be echoed in your first bit of headline copy (the “H1″ tag…)
That’s pretty much it for a beginning primer on Title Tags. If you’ve been listening closely, here are the major points to remember about Title Tags:
- Correctly written Title Tags are one of the most important criteria affecting search engine rankings.
- Title Tags should be based on keyword research performed on a
page by page basis. - Keywords should occur as close to the beginning of the Title Tag as possible.
If you want to learn even more about the importance of Title Tags and SEO, visit the SEOmoz’ “best practices” page.
