When we talk to clients about webpage titles, as part of the search engine optimization process, their thoughts usually turn to the key words and phrases we’ve spent so much time digging up for them. And that’s a good instinct – page titles do factor into the algorithms used by Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
But sometimes, by focusing strictly on keywords, you can actually hurt your own progress. Here’s why: because a number of leading search engines still use the titles you put on your webpages as part of search result listings. In other words, what you write isn’t only seen by search engine spiders – it’s seen by actual human beings who have to decide whether to click through to your page or not.
Since attracting visitors, not just reaching the top spots, should be the real goal of your search engine optimization effort, here are three tips for using your page titles to get more visitors:
Strike a balance. By all means, use keywords and phrases in your page headings. Don’t simply settle for stringing a few of them together, though. Instead, try to make them into interesting phrases or ideas that would appeal to your prospective customers.
Experiment. As with all things in marketing and SEO, the best answer rarely comes to you on the first or second try. Experiment with different titles on your pages from time to time, seeing which ones draw in not only the most visitors, but the right ones.
Do some research. You don’t have to rely only on your own instincts, either. Do some searches on popular topics, or even look at your own competitors’ sites. You’ll probably see a few different approaches, and gain some ideas that might work well for your webpage titles.
