Should Ltd be added to business names in page titles or not?

[Liveleigh]

For example if a page title contained the company name is it advisable to have the page title as:

Blue Cups | Company Name Ltd

or

Blue Cups | Company Name

We have a feeling that searchers are not likely add the Ltd whilst performing searches.

[matbennett]

Most limited companies do not choose to do this.  The only advantage I can see is if there is a similarly names company and you want to differentiate using the full legal name.

[KevinBudzynski]

I agree w/Mat. Unless there are similarly name companies or another legitimate reason, leave it off.

Also, if the title is descriptive enough to match the search query, extra words or phrases may muddle this up.

[DougRoberts]

You might want to use the full legal name of the company on your home page title and then a snappier version on other pages (after all, for those other pages it's unlikely that the searching will be looking for your company)

As Mat and Kevin have said, it's probably not an issue unless you're trying to distinguish yourself from other similarly named companies - especially if you're got a broad/generic company name. "Bristol Plumbing" for example.

I'm wondering if adding Ltd against company names might add additional credibility - especially for local searches / tradesmen etc. If I'm looking for a local plumber should I go for "Doug's Plumbing Ltd" or just "Doug's Plumbing?" What would the effect on click-through from the SERPS be?

I suspect it depends on the business and it's niche. The nice thing about page titles is that they're easy to test!

Whatever you decide to do with the page title, if you're optimising for local search, make sure you're using a consistent NAP.

[KevinBudzynski]

Good point Doug. Consistency is they key for name /address/phone number.