Creating the META title tag?

[dealblogger]

I am having a hard time figuring out what the best META title tag is for my site. I have a deal blog that focuses on Amazon deals but I also write articles, top ten lists, etc. It is baby and mom related. Is there a tutorial for this? Should I just experiment and watch my organic search results? TIA!

[Atomicx]

For a generic page you should do keyword research and make your content focus around that. But write it naturally and do not stuff the keywords in there just because you can.

For your articles. make the title tag the name of your article. That is after all the title of the document. Those top ten lists and fun articles are great things to send out and do some link building with. If done properly you can obtain some good social awareness and links.

[dealblogger]

Thanks. For my articles, I do use the Wordpress SEO plugin to get it SEO optimized. I use the google keyword tool.

But I am talking about for my home page - my domain name. I am still learning the lingo, sorry. How many words can I put in the title tag? I have my website name and then right now I have a couple of keywords. But they didn't seem to do much for me and it's been a month. I am just trying to figure out how to write the best title tag for my home page.

[Chris.Menke]

Hi Dealblogger,

Since your new to all this, I recommend you read through this page to start getting a handle on your title tags and when that under control, branch out to some of these topics.  There's a lot to learn so don't think you have to pick it all up in the first few days.

[Laurean]

I Agree with NoahGlaser, maintaining a consistent META TITLE of your articles really is the right way to go.  Choose your title with relevant keywords, avoiding keyword stuffing.  If you naturally use your keywords throughout your article, you should be good to go!

[dealblogger]

Thanks for the articles. I am reading them.

Just a few quick questions if you don't mind:

1. So the title of my article should be different than my meta title? Using the same format as I do for my home page?

2. I use the format below for my home page mega title. I am using 3 keywords though, is that a big no no?

"Primary Keyword - Secondary Keyword | Brand Name"

3. How do I test out different keywords and how can I figure out which ones give me the best results?

[Chris.Menke]

1. It doesn't have to be different. A well crafted title can be perfectly functional as the title tag and as page or article title.

2. If you can't fit your keywords into a tight, cohesive title statement, you're trying to use too many keywords

3. A long time ago, you could easily get away with endlessly messing around with title tag to see how it impacted rankings but these days, I don't really recommend it.  Do your keyword research and be confident your choices are based soundly on your business objectives, the strength of page, the competitiveness of the keyword, and the available traffic for the term  (keyword research is the hard part). Then create your content based on the business objective you chose your keyword for.  Don't focus on the keyword--just use it as a guide as you develop your content.

[dealblogger]

Thank you! I just realized I hadn't actually changed my title tag for my home page so I just did. (Conflict between Thesis and Wordpress SEO plugin) I will leave it at that for awhile and hopefully it helps.

Thanks for your help!