The Moz Q&A Forum

    • Forum
    • Questions
    • My Q&A
    • Users
    • Ask the Community

    Welcome to the Q&A Forum

    Browse the forum for helpful insights and fresh discussions about all things SEO.

    1. SEO and Digital Marketing Q&A Forum
    2. Categories
    3. On-Page / Site Optimization
    4. Should I include a "|" for better page title SEO results?

    Should I include a "|" for better page title SEO results?

    On-Page / Site Optimization
    13 12 10.0k
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as question
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • EGOL
      EGOL last edited by

      I don't think that a pipe or dash or any other character adds or subtracts any SEO value.  Certainly what you type after it is more important.

      If your brand is widely known and respected then adding it might help increase your clickthroughs or conversions.

      If you don't have a popular brand then "free shipping"... "learn the secrets!"....  or a kickass price in the title tag will pull the visitors in.

      ... and if you have something that everyone wants such as "free beer" then you might want to included it in CAPS.

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
      • groomingguys
        groomingguys last edited by

        I am not sure the is any technical benefit however more used as Alan and EGOL suggest to separate keywords / phrases and increase CTR

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
        • zharriet
          zharriet last edited by

          I use the pipe because SEOmoz uses it. Visually it indicates something different is following. I think it more professional looking than the mere dash.

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
          • Srvwiz
            Srvwiz last edited by

            I think people prefer pipe symbol over hyphen..as it takes relatively less space...that's the only benefit I have seen..

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • BenRWoodard
              BenRWoodard @AlanBleiweiss last edited by

              Sounds like it is just an issue of conserving valuable character real estate while being aesthetically pleasing to the reader.

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • MarkLoud
                MarkLoud last edited by

                The pipe and hyphen as already suggested are the way to go for pure usability and space saving for your title tag. In my opinion neither has a direct SEO advantage over the other however they both have a distinct advantage over other techniques. For me keeping the keywords used in the page title to the point help without any extra "by, or, and" breaks the keyword blocks both visually and semantically for the search engines. Now don't get me wrong I don't think this makes or breaks a good SEO effort on a page but for me it's certainly a preference.

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • BlinkWeb
                  BlinkWeb last edited by

                  | has my vote! More for readability than anything.

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                  • BlinkWeb
                    BlinkWeb last edited by

                    | has my vote! More for readability than anything.

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • TECHeGO
                      TECHeGO last edited by

                      When it comes to a web page Title Tag Google's Supper Smart Spiders pay no attention to the markup or punctuation used. So it truly comes down to the personal preference of the site owner. As for me and my OCD I prefer the Pipes cause they just look cooler! 🙂

                      To prove this point query the following:

                      allintitle:"-"

                      allintitle:"|"

                      allintitle:"/"

                      allintitle:""

                      allintitle:","

                      All come back with BUPKIS

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                      • IPINGlobal54
                        IPINGlobal54 last edited by

                        SEO advantage I would suggest is negligible, if any in this case - more a case of aesthetics as has been suggested, as well as character count saving.

                        Section pages I would go with "Section | Company Name"

                        Product pages I would go with "Product - Section | Company Name"

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • Entrusteddev
                          Entrusteddev last edited by

                          I always prefer the pipe for the following reasons, though I don't think it has any specific SEO value.

                          a) its reader friendly

                          b) its a natural separator

                          c) as Seth says below, it looks cool!

                          d) Whats good for SEOmoz is good for me!

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                          • 1 / 1
                          • First post
                            Last post
                          • Will including "Contact Me" form degrade Google page ranking?
                            BartonInteractive
                            BartonInteractive
                            0
                            2
                            16

                          • Thoughts on adding "near me" to title tag for local SEO?
                            MiriamEllis
                            MiriamEllis
                            0
                            5
                            1.4k

                          • "Avoid Multiple Page Title Elements"
                            Marked_Proplan
                            Marked_Proplan
                            0
                            4
                            105

                          • Is it better to try and boost an old page that ranks on page #5 or create a better new page
                            MobileCause
                            MobileCause
                            0
                            11
                            132

                          • What's better for SEO a page per review or a page with all reviews?
                            MozzieJr
                            MozzieJr
                            0
                            7
                            171

                          • Page Title - What is better?
                            David_ODonnell
                            David_ODonnell
                            0
                            6
                            344

                          • Page title changes based on results per page
                            irvingw
                            irvingw
                            0
                            2
                            371

                          • How could I avoid the "Duplicate Page Content" issue on the search result pages of a webshop site?
                            seohive-222720
                            seohive-222720
                            0
                            3
                            545

                          Get started with Moz Pro!

                          Unlock the power of advanced SEO tools and data-driven insights.

                          Start my free trial
                          Products
                          • Moz Pro
                          • Moz Local
                          • Moz API
                          • Moz Data
                          • STAT
                          • Product Updates
                          Moz Solutions
                          • SMB Solutions
                          • Agency Solutions
                          • Enterprise Solutions
                          • Digital Marketers
                          Free SEO Tools
                          • Domain Authority Checker
                          • Link Explorer
                          • Keyword Explorer
                          • Competitive Research
                          • Brand Authority Checker
                          • Local Citation Checker
                          • MozBar Extension
                          • MozCast
                          Resources
                          • Blog
                          • SEO Learning Center
                          • Help Hub
                          • Beginner's Guide to SEO
                          • How-to Guides
                          • Moz Academy
                          • API Docs
                          About Moz
                          • About
                          • Team
                          • Careers
                          • Contact
                          Why Moz
                          • Case Studies
                          • Testimonials
                          Get Involved
                          • Become an Affiliate
                          • MozCon
                          • Webinars
                          • Practical Marketer Series
                          • MozPod
                          Connect with us

                          Contact the Help team

                          Moz logo
                          © 2021 - 2026 SEOMoz, Inc., a Ziff Davis company. All rights reserved. Moz is a registered trademark of SEOMoz, Inc.
                          • Accessibility
                          • Terms of Use
                          • Privacy