Optimise Your Title Tags for SEO
Title tags are an important (yet often overlooked) component of effective on-page SEO. They influence your search rankings for target keywords, how your listing is displayed in search results, and whether users choose to click through to your site. A well-crafted title tag doesn’t just attract clicks; it sets expectations.
At Herdl, we’ve honed our approach to page title optimisation over years of experience, consistently applying a structured format that prioritises clarity and maximises visibility within the search engine results pages (SERPs). That’s why we’ve developed our own Title Tag Optimiser tool, designed to support clients in understanding how your content will appear across search engines and social media platforms.
Why Are Title Tags So Important?
Search engines like Google rely on the title tag as a strong signal of what your page is about. It’s your first impression, the content users see when your page appears in search results. When your title accurately reflects your content, users are more likely to stay, engage, and convert.
A well-optimised title can improve your visibility in search rankings and significantly increase your click-through rate (CTR), especially when aligned with user intent. And when your content is shared on social media platforms, the title tag often forms the basis of the link preview. A clear and engaging title here can significantly influence whether users click through to your content from their social feeds.
Best Practices for Title Tags
Whether you’re using our Title Tag Optimiser tool or evaluating your site’s title tags manually, here are some key principles that we follow as an SEO agency:
- Target one primary keyword: each page should focus on a single search query that’s mapped from your SEO strategy.
- If space allows, include a relevant secondary keyword if it supports the page’s intent.
- Your title tag should closely align with your on-page H1 tag, reinforcing the content topic.
- Every page on your site should have a unique title tag that accurately reflects its specific content (no two title tags should be the same or target the same keywords).
How the Title Tag Optimiser Works
Google primarily measures title tag length in pixels, not characters. While the general rule is to stay between 50–60 characters, this isn’t an exact science. Titles that are too long will be truncated with an ellipsis (…), cutting off key information and potentially, your target keywords or keyphrases. This is one reason why you want to front-load your keyword or keyphrase at the beginning of the title tag where users are most likely to see it. The other reason is that Google gives ranking weight to the first words as written.
The Title Tag Optimiser lets you create and preview how your meta title and meta description display across both desktop and mobile devices using our proven methodology for creating effective title tags:
Primary Keyword, Secondary Keyword – Brand Name
This structure allows us to:
- Increase visibility of both primary and secondary terms
- Make use of the maximum available pixel space (and avoid truncation)
- Clearly see whether a page title has been optimised
- Reinforce brand awareness.
The Last Word
Our Title Tag Optimiser tool encourages you to think critically about each page’s unique value proposition. It’s completely free to use – no sign-up required. If you’re unsure where to begin or would like to learn more about how we can help you implement effective on-page optimisation strategies, get in touch.