What are best page titles for sub-folders or sub-directories? Same as website?

[vtmoz]

Hi all,

We always mention "brand & keyword" in every page title along with topic in the website, like "Topic | vertigo tiles".

Let's say there is a sub-directory with hundreds of pages...what will be the best page title practice in mentioning "brand & keyword" across all pages of sub-directory to benefit in-terms if SEO?

Can we add "vertigo tiles" to all pages of sub-directory? Or we must not give same phrase?

Thanks,

[impactzoneco]

VTCRM,

Good luck!

-- Jewel

[vtmoz]

Thanks Jewel,

So we stick on this and get back to you for any other clarifications.

[impactzoneco]

CTRM,

I'm glad my response helped you.

To my eyes, without looking at keyword rankings, etc., the middle one looks like the most natural language version.

Good luck, and feel free to ping me if I can provide any additional ideas.

-- Jewel

[vtmoz]

I think it's Okay to go with as I noticed many are practising same from our industry. And I feel like "brand & keyword" is not going to hurt; if so it must be hurting all the pages of website being with same suffix across all page titles. I think Topic name is going to play key role which we possibly do not have duplicate content issues. Our new sub directory is a help guide and I am planning to add "help" and choose one of the below format.

Topic | help - vertigo tile

Topic | vertigo tiles help

Topic | vertigo tiles - help

[vtmoz]

Hi Jewel,

Thanks for such descriptive answer which explains a lot. Rather than worrying about getting penalised; I would like to make sure which way of using brand and main keyword across these page titles fetch in SEO. Actually our sub-directory is all about help guides. So I decided to go with our brand name and keyword as per you suggestion with high confidence levels. Again I need to add "help" to this...So I am now in finding out the best natural looking out of below:

Topic | help - vertigo tile

Topic | vertigo tiles help

Topic | vertigo tiles - help

[impactzoneco]

Hello VTCRM,

This is a tough call. Because it is a branding versus SEO issue. Convention is to put the website's  name on all the pages. However, you are correct to be concerned about duplication and "too much".

I decided to poke around on some big websites, where I know they have usability experts and ought to have the $$$ for high quality SEO. It looks like the convention is have the name in there, either as a repeated tagline, the company name, or as part of the product.

Target uses SquareSpace AFAIK, so even with customization, that may be a requirement of the platform, to repeat the tagline. But having used SquareSpace, it is probably their choice, as they have the programmers to change that.

I looked at Home Depot, and they do use their name in the product title. I also examined Nike. They use the name integrated into the product name, so not tagged on at the end.

My advice, then, would be to follow the convention and add the name to the title.  I think the Google search engine has been programmed will enough to understand the brand name versus spamming.

Nike's way of integrating the name into the product is the one that stands out to me as potential SEO buster for spam. However, again, I think search engines ought to be able to pick apart a site or product name from spamming.

I think if you stick to convention and do "Topic | vertigo tiles", you'll be all right. As don_quixote pointed out, removing the standard branding name from the title does give you more room for other keywords. I agree with him that you should think through your navigation carefully, as you are doing, and that includes the page names ==> URL/slug names (the overall Information Architecture).

To summarize, do I think you'll be penalized for following web convention of the past 20 years and tacking your brand name/website name to the title? No.

Then your question will be, do you want to do this?

It sounds like you do, but you are hesitant because of fears of a duplication penalty. I don't think you need to worry about that, especially given these big sites are doing it.

The other aspect to information retrieval, is the location of one term or phrase near another that creates associations and helps in findability. Associating "product X women's tennis shoes" with "Nike" is a genuine association.

I think you'll be fine to add that name to the title, assuming you don't want the real estate for other keywords. IOW, I see no reason why you would be penalized. (And if not, contact me, and I'll help you fix it on my time!)

Me? I tend to follow convention in that regard. I'll buck convention in other areas, but you ought to be fine. (If it matters, I started building websites in 1995, I have worked with CMS systems for years, and I have yet to be penalized.)

-- Jewel

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[ClaytonJ]

Without going into how to technically achieve the outcome. It may be beneficial to go back one step and consider drawing up a the url structure. Lay out the keyword/s being targeted for the global home page and then the first sub-folders. The url structure, when laid out, with keywords, should provide guidance on the layout of Title's and H1's.  We often take out the company name/brand when required and use the 600 pixels available to optimise the page. This allows more individual title tags for search and customers.  ie Your client will likely rank No 1-3 for their brand and brand labelling inner pages, unless beneficial for the customer experience is unlikely to assist brand ranking...

You may only want to index some of the sub directory pages... as well.  rel canonical the juice back to the header page..

Anyway I like to go back to the url structure, and find when I get that right everything flows easily from there...

So in answer to your question - No I would not recommend you put vertigo tiles on every page of the sub-folder. I would make sure each page has a unique relevant title.. and a closely though not exact matching H1... to the page content. I add I see "black vertigo tiles" as different to "white vertigo tiles"

Hope that assists.

[vtmoz]

Hi Jewel,

Our website is wordpress and yes it auto generates our company name and main keyword to rear of the every page title. This is good because we do have targetiitng keywords and brand on all pages.

Our sub-directory is a different CMS. It's been hosted independently with own design. This will be even auto generated. My doubt is whether repeating same "company name and keyword" in all page titles of this sub-directory good or bad? Will this be kind of duplicate look for Google? Or it'll help us in the keyword scenario?

Thanks

[impactzoneco]

What website platform/CMS are you using? Does it auto-generate your website name to either the front or rear of the page title? For example, as WordPress does? Or, is this something you can suppress, which I believe SquareSpace allows (but don't quote me on that).