Page Title Tags - SEO vs CRO ?
-
Hi everyone,
Thanks to what seems to be a recent(ish) algo change in Google, some of our more targeted deeper pages are ranking for search terms where before only our homepage would rank.
This is of course great however I am a little worried that some of the page titles of our internal pages are a little short, for example our main departments (we are an ecommerce store) are titles 'Department Name | Liberty Games' so for example 'Pool Tables | Liberty Games'.
I have heard varying reports on what to do with the title tag, I have heard to keep the most relevant keywords to the left of the tag, which we have done, I have also heard that shorter is better.
I am just a bit concerned that our tags are looking a little stumpy in the serps alongside other results which are longer (although admittedly a bit keyword stuffed).
So (eventually) my question is, will short titles harm my click-through rate ? but are shorter titles better for SEO ? If longer is better are there any recommendations about what I could add to these titles that could potentially help click-throughs and natural rankings ?
Many thanks,
Stuart
-
Awesome find on the snippet optimizer!
-
Awesome find on the snippet optimizer!
-
Thanks for the advice, that article looks great will have a good read of it over the weekend. I think it might just be down to a case of trying various things on a few different pages and see which works best.
-
On the CRO side, usability research actually suggests that (on the web) the first 2 words of a headline carry most of the weight. In SERPs, I think that's even more at play - people scan, they don't read full TITLEs. The natural assumption is that long TITLEs carry more information, but in many cases, what's good for SEO is good for users with titles and headlines.
Of course, you don't want to be too spammy, or just string keywords together - that might get someone's attention but then cost you the click. Overall, though, I wouldn't be afraid of short TITLEs.
More info here in a post from 2009 by Jakob Nielsen:
-
I would try to find a compromise between SEO and CRO. Make the title tag long enough to give the 'scent' of information specifiicty, but not SO long that its hard for the average visitor to scan and absorb.
-
For one of our clients we have purposely trimmed down the title tag two merely two words and reduced the description to a one liner thus creating lovely white space with reading clarity which makes eyes focus on it.
By doing so we've improved our click through rate by 20%.
-
I find this title almost perfect and not spamy if there is a single and a plural version in it and much more user friendly. I recognise the brand name now
I would only put the singular term at the beginning because in that case the search volume is higher with the sigular word.
--> Pool Table, buy pool tables online at Liberty Games
-
Thanks for the response, I should have mentioned "Liberty Games" is our brand term so is at the and after the | of every page on the site.
I did read that it was a good idea to try and target the singular and the plural term in the title tage, so for example 'Pool Tables, buy a pool table online at Liberty Games' - although i'm not sure if this would appear too stuffed as when you search for the singular google already highlights the plural so it clearly knows the link. That said we don't rank as well on the singular so any boost would help.
-
Hi Stuart,
title tag optimization is an important onpage ranking factor.
Just keep in mind the following items:- the title should not be longer as seventy characters in lenght (although the spiders can read them, they are not displayed with more than 70 characters and regarding usability it is best to stay below that number)
- your most prominent keyword(s) should be - as you already wrote - at the left of the title
- don't keyword stuff the title
- just explain in short terms what the visitors are going to find on that page
By the way - I love this tool here http://www.seomofo.com/snippet-optimizer.html
I would suggest to add your brand to the title - you can do that after your category page(s).
Each page should be treated as an individual (starting) page and like that your potential visitors can identify the brand, too and are more comfortable to click.I have never heard about a negative aspect regarding SEO if a title is too short. Just try to keep your title as natural as possible.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Is title tag length actually important?
Hey Mozzers, Here are some title tag facts as i see them After 50-60 characters Google shortens your title. You want your most compelling info in the title to be readable and not truncated, so it should be written clearly before the character limit. Most important keywords should be used used as close to the start of the title as possible. My question is: Does Google still index the words after 50-60 chars? Many SEO graders make such a big deal about length and i am wondering if they are wrong. Thanks, Nails
Conversion Rate Optimization | | matt.nails0 -
Tracking a Deposit Page Through Google Analytics: Which is a better way?
Good day to all, I do have game download website (Works like Google Play and Steam) and currently working on the deposit page which is payable by fund transfer and Paypal. The thing is I do not have a confirmation page that I can use to track all incoming successful and unsuccessful conversions for this deposit page. My question is, which is better to use for this kind of tracking a goal in Google Analytics? Are we going to use a virtual page or and event tracking method? How can I track users that visit the deposit page that weren't able to do a deposit attempt? Thanks for answering this question. Have a good day ahead.
Conversion Rate Optimization | | Francis.Magos0 -
Is putting an email address in the page title a good idea?
As our Contact Us page title was a little short I added in sales@example.com So "Contact us : Sales@example.com" We don't get a lot of spam and it hasn't noticeable increased since we did this. Tynt suggests that a reasonable number of people have copied and pasted the email - presumably to contact us Is it worth experimenting with further or a waste of time?
Conversion Rate Optimization | | Zippy-Bungle1 -
How To Rank Landing Pages In The SERPs
Hi, am hoping someone can give me a little advice.. We have created an Ebook for a client, which we will ‘hide’ behind a landing page for the purpose of collecting email addresses in return for a link to the Ebook. We are thinking of using Unbounce landing pages, integrated with Mailchimp. The problem however is that I’m assuming it will not be possible for Unbounce landing pages to rank well in the SERPs.. which is essential. The obvious solution would be to write a blog post detailing the contents of the Ebook, and then to ‘SEO’ this post.. this however will not provide a positive user experience as below; Visitor lands on blog post Visitor then has to click through to Ubounce landing page (very similar content) Visitor completes form to download Ebook My question is; What’s the best way to rank a direct landing page in the SERP’s, whilst providing the best possible user experience (less steps)? Many thanks in advance, your time is appreciated 🙂 Lee.
Conversion Rate Optimization | | Webpresence0 -
Sales pages or one site?
New client in the pensions market and they want to launch a new product. There are They have asked for a site build but my question is Is there a benefit to writing unique copy for this one product on each micro site/sales page and focus on a particular keyword, with an email capture for lead generation and also a link back to the main site. Buy domains with targeted keywords in them : www.workplacepensions.co.uk www.auto-opt-in-pensions.co.uk etc? Thoughts please as it will change my proposal 😉
Conversion Rate Optimization | | Agentmorris0 -
Same review across multiple pages
Hello, I would like to add reviews on some pages of my website, so it could eventually show up in the google search results with some nice stars. The problem is that the same review will be shown on multiple pages: Example: Reviews about France Reviews about French Riviera Reviews about Monaco (The review is about Monaco but as it's a town on the French riviera and in France i would like to use it to calculate an "Aggregate Rating" for the parent destinations...) Do you think that the use of the same review (with microdata) across multiple pages could be interpreted as a spammy way to get stars in the SERP and eventualy result in lower positions ? Or should I just use the Aggregate Rating without the reviews ? Many thanks for your answers, BR from France Evgueni
Conversion Rate Optimization | | 3vgueni0 -
Responsive SEO - Redesign
My team is in the process of redesigning our main website. In order to balance Conversion Rate Optimization and SEO we are considering adding some features to the new site – HOWEVER we are wondering whether or not this will make any significant to our SERP’s. All together I am looking for your opinion – on two distinct areas. NOTE: Our site is built in plain HTML- No CMS. First (HOME PAGE) Content Slider above the fold. Our current site does a good job of utilizing this prime space with a balanced use of H1 and Text. However – it is not optimized for conversions. We feel a slider will kill both birds with one stone. Have you have any experience with this? What are your thoughts? Do SE’s like this? SECOND (NAVIGATION) We are adding a submenu to the site. Besides our Horizontal top menu and additional menu in a Column format is being discussed. We are thinking that the left placement will work better with conversions – however what do search engines like most – left or right navigations? Your input is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Daniel
Conversion Rate Optimization | | dhidalgo10 -
Spanish SEO
Does anyone know of a good SEO company for Spanish speaking sites besides BeyondROI? Thanks
Conversion Rate Optimization | | geekdesign0