Best Practices for Homepage Title Tag

[teconsite]

Hi,

I would like to know if there is any update about the best practices for the homepage title tag.

I mean, a couple of years ago, it was still working placing main keywords in the homepage title tag. But since the last google SERP update, the number of characters that are being shown were reduced, and now we try to work with 55 and 56 characters. That has reduced our capacity of including many keywords on the title tag.

Besides, search engines are smarter now to choose the correct inner page to show in SERP.

But I am wondering if the Homepage Title should have a branded orientation or should include main keywords, cause it is still working that strategy.

I would appreciatte any update in this issue.

Thank you!

[Alick300]

Hi,

Optimal format for any page title tag is **Primary Keyword - Secondary Keyword | Brand Name. **

You can use it same for homepage also. If a brand is well-known enough to make a difference in click-through rates in search results, the brand name should be first. If the brand is less known or relevant than the keyword, the keyword should be first.

If you keep your titles under 55 characters, you can expect at least 95% of your titles to display properly

Hope this helps.

Thanks

[TomRayner]

I disagree with the post above.

The most important thing for your title tag is to make it compelling enough to click.  It's your biggest shop window - you need to use the space.  A "Keyword - Keyword | Brand" isn't going to do that.

You will, of course, want to include your primary keyword in there, but you tell me which of these you'd prefer to click:

"Blue Widgets - Red Widgets | The Widgets Co"

"Cheap Blue Widgets - Free USA Shipping! | The Widgets Co"

Try and get your key selling points in the title tag as often as your keywords.  Give the user a reason to click.

In addition, title tags are truncated/shortened based on character width, not the number characters.  Dr Pete at Moz put together a great preview tool that you can check your title tags in to make sure they won't be shortened.

Hope this helps.

[ClaytonJ]

Interesting responses - we specialize in title tags and descriptions. There is no uniform practice as such.  I disagree more with Tom on the above, but he is also right!  The suggested method by Alick is I believe still generally the best way forward.

That said as Tom pointed out clickability should also be an integral feature in how you form the Title tag and description. So there is a trade off - and difficult often to find the balance SEO -v- Clickability.  High traffic pages should have alot of thought and consideration - impacts can be massive.

The positive is with the new search traffic data available in WMT's you can try a few options over several weeks. In the new WMT's you can monitor each page more accurately and the effect of Position, Impressions, Clicks and CTR changes. Our experience is that with changes to the Title & Description & the subsequent Clicks on page google re-evaluates "the page relevance to the query" to answer a "searchers query".  Google re-sets or re-tests you. Google either then "publishes the page on more or less searches" and google monitors searchers behavior on the page when people click through, for stickiness.

A good Title tag will have strong keyword elements and this can be be measured in WMT's as Google places the Result on more "searched pages".  Immediately after indexing the page position may drop and likewise CTR.  However the clicks go up.  Why does this happen?  It is because google believes the new result answers more searchers queries.  Then the google tests how people respond to the page when they click through - if positive the page position climbs on the new pages - if there is no stickiness (ie they pogostick) it declines.

If google believes the new page is answering a "searchers query" then the page ranking generally will slowly increase, and likewise CTR.

Anyway maybe got a bit off track.  But feel free to ask any questions. ps Yes I know google state CTR is not a ranking factor however they do take stock of what customers do on a page.

[teconsite]

Thank you John for your detailed answer! Very interesting insights
It seems that there is not easy way and not a general answer to this question.

[teconsite]

Thank you Tom!

For sure, a ctr optimized title works better. I still don't know if having less kws in title tag  pays the worth...

I still don't know, what would be better

Attractive title, but less keywords.
or
less attractive title and more keywords

Spanish language makes it a little more difficult, cause generally words are longer, and you cannot say too much...

Maybe the only way is testing for each case, what works better.
I wish it were esier!

Thank you!

[teconsite]

Thank you!

[ClaytonJ]

Correct - I can give you a trick though.

If the SERP is a high value page. Thousands if not millions of dollars has been spent on Adwords A/B testing the Ads that work on that page. When you frame your meta description and Title if you can - take into account the top Ads that companies keep on replaying.  They would not keep running them, if not highly successful on that page.

Go get them...

[teconsite]

Thanks again!