The title tag is what the user will see at the top of the browser window, as well as in the search results as the linked title to your Web page. Title tags help search engines determine your web page's relevancy for certain keyword phrases. Making a good title tag is pretty simple - by the end of this how-to, you'll have a snappy new title tag that will be part of your meta tag optimization arsenal.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 15-20 minutes
Here's How:
- Locate on your hard drive the HTML file of the page that you want to write a title for. If you're using a WYSIWYG editor such as Dreamweaver or Homesite, locate the meta tags menu (or simply switch to Code view in order to instantly locate your HTML).
- Find the < title > < /title > tags in the HEAD section. These are at the very top of your HTML document.
- Remember those keyword phrases you've worked so hard on? Get them ready in front of you to help you write your title tag. Your title tag should be the top phrase that you want your site to be found for; for example, if you've got a site about jeweled cat collars, and you'd like to be found for that phrase when people type it into search engines, then you'll want your title tag to reflect that. Keep in mind that you'll need to choose a phrase that doesn't have a ton of competition.
- Write out a preliminary title, such as "Nona's Bead Shop-Seattle, WA." Make sure to use correct punctuation and spelling, because this definitely will influence if people click through to your site from search engine search results.
- Put your finished title between the < title > and < /title > tags of your HTML document. Voila! You did it!
- Remember, you'll want to choose keyword phrases for your title tag that A)are what you want to be found for and B)don't have a ton of competion. Here's a few articles that can help you with this: Including Keywords In Your Site Content and Source Code, Researching Keywords and Phrases, and How to Target Your Audience.
Tips:
- Be creative. Brainstorm for the right words to describe your site, and use different titles for each page that reflect what that particular page is actually about.
- Don't be intimidated by code. HTML is not hard to learn, and soon you'll be writing those title tags like a pro.
- Find your niche. Don't target the exact same phrases that everyone else in your market is focussing on; search out the key phrases that have a fair amount of compeition, but not so much that you don't have a chance to be found.
What You Need:
- Fundamental HTML knowledge
- Creativity
- Perseverance
