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Title
Tag and Meta Tags are the author-generated
source codes that are positioned in the
<Head> segment of your HTML document.
Apart from the Title Tag, other information
inserted is not visible to the person
surfing your web page, but is visible
only to the search engine crawlers. Title
and Meta Description Tags are especially
important as they can be used to influence
the ranking of your site (to a certain
extent) and the way it appears in some
search results. There are several Meta
Tags like Meta Description Tag, Meta Keywords
Tag and more, but out of the existing
Tags the most important and popular ones
are the Title Tag and the Meta Description
Tag. Though the Title Tag does not belong
to the Meta Tag family (click for more
information on Meta Tags), yet from the
Search Engine Optimization point of view,
the Title Tag is the most significant
tag on your web site, followed by the
Meta Description Tag.
What
is a Title Tag?
The
Title Tag is an HTML code that shows the
words that appear in the Title bar at
the top of your web browser. These words
do not appear anywhere else on your web
page. For instance, the Title Tag of this
page appears as ‘Meta Tag Optimization
: Title and Meta Description Tag Optimization’
at the top bar of your web browser. This
is because these words were entered into
the Title Tag of the web site’s HTML
code. Usually, the Title Tag is the first
element in the <Head> area of your
site, followed by the Meta Description
and the Meta Keywords Tags. Before, we
discuss the Title Tag in greater detail;
lets see how it looks in your web site’s
HTML code:
<Head>
<Title> Meta Tag Optimization :
Title and Meta Description Tag Optimization</Title>
</Head>
Why
is the Title Tag Important from Search
Engine Optimization perspective?
Title
Tag is an important Tag amongst other
SEO related options , as it not only communicates
the theme of your web page to the human
visitors but is also considered very important
by the Search Engine crawlers. Title Tag
is not a Meta Tag, but nevertheless it
is the most important of all Tags. Almost
all crawler based search engines use the
Title Tag to gather information about
your web site. The search engines use
the words or the content of the Title
Tag during the ranking process to analyze
the relevance of your web page. Major
search engines like Google, Yahoo, AOL,
AltaVista, and AlltheWeb use your web
page’s Title Tag to evaluate its
relevance.
Title
Tag is the hyperlinked text title that
is displayed in the search engine results
page (SERP). The users, in turn, click
on this hyperlink to go to your web site.
The
Title Tag is also used as the text when
you ‘bookmark’ a page or add
a certain web page to your ‘favorites’
list in your browser.
A
carefully constructed Title Tag is very
important for your page’s ranking
with the search engines.
Of
late, a large number of articles have
been written with differing views and
opinions regarding the relevance and benefits
of various Meta Tags. Most experts, however,
agree that the Title Tag is a significant
tool in any search engine optimization
campaign.
Working
with the Title Tag
Since
the Title Tag plays a vital role in determining
your site’s ranking in the SERP,
you need to pay a lot of attention to
the words that appear in the Title Tag
and the order in which they appear. You
need to develop a crisply worded Title
Tag that includes your most relevant keyword
phrases and performs the function of announcing
the summary of your web page’s content.
Title
Tag and Keywords
Amongst
all the places you can use your important
keyword phrases, the usage of keywords
in the Title Tag gives the highest weight.
While
using your keyword phrases in the Title
Tag, it is important to be highly focused.
You should use the same keywords not just
in your Title Tag, but also in your page
content and the Meta Description Tag of
your web page. If the keywords you intend
using in your Title Tag do not appear
anywhere else in your page’s content,
then avoid using them in your page title
as the weight of the keywords in the Title
Tag gets diluted.
It
is essential to sequence your keyword
phrases correctly in your Title Tag. The
order in which they appear is of great
importance. Having your most important
keyword phrase towards the beginning of
the Title Tag helps display your title
in bold in the SERP (search engines result
pages).
Other
Do’s and Don’ts
Consider
using both singular and plural forms of
the important words in your Title Tag.
For instance, you may use both ‘loan’
and ‘loans’ while making the
Title Tag. Google is still experimenting
with Stemming (interchange of singular
and plural terms); however, it is fluctuating
in its deployment frequently. A word of
Caution : Do not overdo it.
Title Tag length: Google usually reads
about 90 characters of your Title Tag.
Therefore, a Title Tag of about 80-90
characters is good enough.
Do not use keywords repeatedly as the
density of your keywords does not matter
in your Title Tag.
The sequence in which keywords appear
in your Title Tag is important. Try using
natural phrases for your Title Tag, which
read better and will likely conform to
your Keyword Phrases.
Avoid using the same Title Tag throughout
your site. Try using a unique Title Tag
for each web page and use keyword Phrases
that holds theme relevance to that page.
You also get to leverage more keyword
phrases if you individualize the Title
Tag in all pages.
Most search engines are not case sensitive;
therefore, you can write your Title Tag
in a way that looks most visually appealing.
Title Tag should ideally read like a phrase
that makes some grammatical sense, not
just a collection of keywords. This is
all the more important as the Title Tag
usually appears as the text when you ‘bookmark’
or add a page to your ‘favorites’
list. Therefore, it should make sense
when a person reads it later. For instance,
if you want to include the keywords Home
Loans, fast clearance, No credit check
in your Title Tag, you can write a Title
Tag that reads:
Home Loans : fast clearance with no credit
check.
What
to Include in your Title Tag?
You
could put the product or service you are
offering in the Title Tag, instead of
your firm or company name. This is because
most users when searching for, information
search for specific products or services,
not company names. Also note that search
engines read about 80-90 characters in
your Title Tag. This is prime Real Estate
for your important keywords. If you strongly
feel like putting your company or domain
name in your Title Tag, then, do so at
the end. Wasting several characters by
inserting your site name does you little
good.
In a nutshell, the basic ingredients of
a good Title Tag are:
It
should announce the summary of your web
page content.
It should read like a crisply worded sales
pitch that is enticing enough to make
the users click on your entry when it
is displayed in SERP.
It should include your most important
keyword phrases or search terms.
The sequencing of the keywords should
make logical sense.
Each page of your website should have
different and customized Title Tag relevant
to the context of that page.
The Title and Meta Description Tags are
very important aspects of your search
engine optimization campaign. This exercise
begins with carrying out a thorough Keyword
Phrase research. Keyword phrase research
forms the most essential and important
aspect of any SEO initiative. After selecting
your most relevant keyword phrases and
writing a keyword rich copy for your web
page, you can now work these important
search terms into your Title and Meta
Description Tags. Read our detailed article
on Keyword Phrase Research.
What
is Meta Description Tag?
The
Meta Description Tag is a part of HTML
code that allows you to give a short and
concise summary of your web page content.
The words placed in this Meta Tag, are
often used in the search engines result
pages (SERP), just below the Title Tag
as a brief description of your page. In
the Search Engine Results Pages, after
reading the Title, a user usually studies
the description of the page and decides
whether she wants to visit your site or
not.
Some
Search Engines prefer to ignore your Meta
Description Tag and build the description
summary on the basis of the search term
for the SERP on the fly. They usually
pick up parts of the text on your page
wherever the search terms appear. The
only exceptions are the Flash, Frame or
All Image sites that have no content,
and some high importance websites, where
the search term is not found in the text.
In such a case, Google picks up your entire
Meta Description Tag and displays it.
This
is the way Meta Description Tag appears
in your site’s HTML code:
<Head>
<meta name="description"
content="Meta Tag Optimization :
Title Tag Optimization and Meta Description
Tag Optimization. Tips about how to Optimize
your most important Tags.">
</Head>
Importance
of Meta Description Tag
All
search engines do not give very high prominence
to the Meta Description Tag and may generate
a description on the fly while listing
your web page in SERP. However, in some
search engines, a good Meta Description
Tag might help a page to rank higher for
your targeted search terms. This holds
true for Flash, Frame or All Image sites
that have no content as well as some high
importance websites, where the search
term is not found in the text. In such
cases, some search engines pick up the
exact Meta Description Tag and display
it in its SERP, just below the Title Tag.
Hence, it is important to write a crisp
and enticing Meta Description Tag that
includes your important keyword phrases
and manages to interest your user, thus
making her click on your entry.
Working
with Meta Description Tag
Keyword
Phrases and Meta Description Tag:
Include
your most relevant and important keyword
phrases in your page’s Meta Description
Tag. As in the case of Title Tag, focus
on the same keyword phrases as you used
in your page’s Title Tag and body
text. Fewer and highly targeted search
phrases can boost your web page’s
relevance in the search engines results.
Hence, stress should be on writing a brief
yet informative description for your web
page.
The
Meta Description Tag of your web page
should not read like a collection of keywords,
but should be written as an informative
and interesting summary of your web page.
Dos
and Don’ts of a good Meta Description
Tag:
Excessive
keyword repetition should be avoided.
Instead, pay attention to the sequence
in which your keywords appear. Your most
important terms should be placed in the
beginning.
Make sure each page on your web site has
a different and a unique Meta Description
Tag using the keyword phrases that are
relevant to that web page.
A Meta Description Tag of 25-30 words
should do fine.
The most important keyword phrases should,
ideally be placed at the beginning of
your Meta Description Tag, which increases
your chances of better Search Engine Rankings.
Useful
links:
http://www.wdvl.com/Authoring/HTML/Head/Meta/
http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/struct/global.html#h-7.4.4
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