Despite the common advice not to judge a book by its cover, many of us are guilty of doing that in the most literal sense when we decide whether or not to read a book based solely on its title.

In marketing, things are no different. When people search for content in Google, they typically decide which results to click on based on their title tags — the titles that appear for search results in Google. Because of that, it’s crucial for all your content to use compelling title tags.

But how do you know if your title tags are optimized for search engine optimization (SEO)? Simple — you use our SEO title tag grader. Within seconds, you can get a clear look at what any given title tag is doing to drive clicks for your content.

If you want to improve them further, you can read on for some stellar title tag tips. Then, to get even more insight into your SEO from the agency with over 20 years of experience, you can use our free SEO checker to receive more high-quality feedback!

Get insight into your rankings with our SEO title tag grader

As the first thing users see when they find your content in search results, your title tags are essential to convincing people to click. A dull or misleading title tag can only hurt your SEO.

So, where do your title tags currently stand? When you plug a URL into the title tag checker below, you can receive a full audit of that page’s title tag, including recommendations on how to improve it — all in a matter of seconds!

You can do this for multiple URLs, as different pages may have different results. That said, it’s more than likely that you’ll start noticing recurring trends in what your title tags get right and wrong.

5 title tag tips to boost your SEO

Not thrilled with the way your current title tags are scoring in our title tag checker? No worries — it’s easy to improve them! With a few simple steps, you can turn uninspired title tags into valuable, clickworthy tags. Here are five title tag tips to get you started!

1. Keep your title tags short

One of the first things to watch on your title tags is length. When your title tags are too long, they can get cut off at the end, rendering them far less useful and lowering the chance that people will click on them.

 

 

While Google does set a limit on how many characters your title tag can contain, you shouldn’t use that as your guide. That’s because while Google will technically allow you to make a title tag that’s, say, 80 characters long, it won’t display the whole thing.

A good rule of thumb is to keep your title tags under 60 characters in length. If they’re any longer, they’ll probably get cut off. But when users can see an entire title tag, they’ll be much more likely to click on it.

You can check if your title tag is short enough by using our free Google Preview Tool. Just plug in your title tag to see how it will appear in Google search results and make sure it won’t get cut off!

2. Front load your keywords

You likely know about including keywords in your written content. Those keywords serve to help your content rank in Google searches. And just as you should include keywords in the content itself, you should also include them in your title tags.

When you write a piece of content that targets a particular keyword, make sure to put that keyword in your title tag. Doing so is a fantastic way to help your content rank. Specifically, try to put it at or near the front of the title tag, where users can easily see it and know your page is relevant.

If needed, you can use pipes to section your title tag and put your keyword at the front. For example, if you write a blog post to target the keyword “push mower maintenance,” your title tag could read something like “Push Mower Maintenance | Your Guide to Repairing Push Mowers.”

3. Don’t do keyword stuffing

While your SEO title tags should definitely incorporate their target keywords, you want to be careful not to overdo it. Just as keyword stuffing is a bad idea for your content, it’s also a bad idea for your title tags.

In general, you only need to incorporate your keyword once into your title tag. Don’t try to shoehorn in as many keywords, or as many variations on the same keyword, as possible.

An example of a keyword stuffing in a title tag is “Finance Management | A Finance Management Overview and Finance Management Tips.” On top of being too long, that title looks spammy, so users won’t want to click on it — not to mention that it’s bad for your rankings.

4. Insert numbers and dates

Ultimately, one of the main potential benefits of your title tag is the way it can stand out from other results and ensnare users’ interest. To help achieve this effect, it’s often a good idea to include numbers and dates.

Inserting numbers into your title tags can do a lot to attract people’s eyes and interest. A title tag that says, “10 Tips on How to Get More Social Media Followers” or “How to Get More Social Media Followers in 2020” is more compelling than a simple “How to Get More Social Media Followers.”

In short, numbers make content sound concise, and dates make it sound current. If you use dates, though, be sure to update them as time goes on — an article that ends with “in 2021” won’t sound very current in 2023.

5. Include emotive adjectives and action words

Another great way to bring up your score in the title tag checker is to incorporate compelling verbs and adjectives. When it comes to title tags, language is your best tool for attracting users, and you should use it to its full potential.

For adjectives, you should aim to use juicy, emotive terms that make your content sound more appealing. For example, instead of “5 Ways to Build a Birdhouse,” you could say, “5 Easy Ways to Build a Stunning Birdhouse.” After all, wouldn’t you rather build the stunning birdhouse?

Meanwhile, you can use strong action verbs to drive interest as well. When you have an opportunity to phrase a title tag almost as a call to action, you may want to take that route — for example, “Drive Up Your Revenue With These 3 Finance Tips.”

Get more help optimizing your SEO title tag from WebFX

If you’re still not sure how to go about improving your title tag grader scores, WebFX would love to help! With over 500 client testimonials, we’re the digital marketing agency businesses trust to drive results.

With our SEO services, you’ll not only receive help optimizing your title tags, but you’ll also get help with every other major facet of your website’s SEO. WebFX knows how to optimize for Google rankings, and we’ll do what it takes to get your content ranking higher.

To get started with us, just call us at 888-601-5359 or contact us online today!