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
-
Thanks to everyone for the discussion; i really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts.
Have a great day,
Nails
-
As long as it looks good in SERP and hosts your target keyword you're good.
Yes, google will cut the title at 512px or around 50-60 characters, but if the main information fits within the limit you're good. Plus google still reads and accounts for the rest of your title. Sometimes, shortened title ca even improve CTR, it can work like a click bait title. Think of something like: Best practices for titles are keeping them under 60 chars, adding your keyword and...
But, of course, there's a common practice and it is there for a reason, in the most cases title that fits completely in SERP works best.
-
Hi,
Yes I believe they are important, if the page title is too long, Google will typically truncate the title to fit within the guidelines (Around 50-60 Characters).
If this happens, then you run the risk of losing out on important keywords, or having a page title that doesn't really make sense.
If the page title is too short then you'll be losing out on valuable space where you can include important keywords or your brand name!
Page titles in my opinion will always look better, and entice CTR if they follow a similar fashion to my example below:
Keyword | Brand Name
However, I would say don't be too strict on the page title length, for example if you have one that is 48 Characters or 65 Characters long, I wouldn't worry. It's the page titles that are 20 Characters long, you're under utilizing or 90 Characters long that won't be displayed correctly.
I'm not sure what you mean, if Google index keywords beyond 60 Characters, Google will index pages, and the content within it. Page titles are generally used for the link you click within your search results. Hence why they are so important as they should do everything possible to encourage CTR.
Thinks of the page title as the first thing a user will see/notice when looking through the results page.
Hope this helps!
Ian
-
Hi,
As far as I know yes it is important.
50–60 Characters – This is one of those things where best practices usually is the best way to go because the optimal length is usually 50 to 60 characters.
Check latest whiteboard friday @ https://moz.com/blog/title-tag-hacks-whiteboard-friday
Thanks
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
-
Use "Brand Name" or things like "Free Shipping" in Ecommerce Product Title Tags?
Given the current industry best practices and changes to Google algorithms, should I be using "Product name...Brand Name" or something like "Product Name...Free Shipping (or similar)" in my ecommerce title tags? Thanks!
Conversion Rate Optimization | | jeffbstratton0 -
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 -
If your brand name is the same as your URL should you include it in your homepage title tag?
I have always felt that having your brand name in every title tag though-out your website when your URL is your brand name is a waste. The space your brand name takes up could be used for more valuable non-branded keywords. If your brand name is unique, the URL (and content optimized with your brand name) should be enough to have you rank #1 across the board in search results. Though I beleive this I still think it is valuable placing your brand name in the back of your homepage title tag. Example: Full Service Advertising Agency | Your Brand Name Any thoughts why you should or shouldn't do this? Isn't this useful for branded purposes? Doe this help click-though rate? Don't you want your visitors to know our brand at first glance of search results? Another argument I had for doing it was if it weren't important, than why does every search site do this? http://moz.com/ http://searchengineland.com/ http://searchenginewatch.com/ http://www.seroundtable.com/ Thanks for the help!
Conversion Rate Optimization | | EvanC.EGC0 -
Testing Google Tag Manager
Is there a way to test if the Google Tag Manager is set up correctly? Am I right in thinking that the only code that will be output on the page will be the actual embed code, eg: SCRIPT REMOVED Cant work out if there is an issue with what has been set in the account of if there is a problem with how the code has been added to the page..
Conversion Rate Optimization | | edwardlewis0 -
Will adding to a video's length affect my Rich Snippets?
Most people get to the end of my videos, 85% or so, but there's no call to action at the end of them. So I'd like to suggest what they could do or read next; along the lines of 'Add to basket and receive your XYZ tomorrow'. This will make the video longer and therefore google will know it has changed, I guess. I see no reason for them to object to this but you never you.
Conversion Rate Optimization | | Brocberry0 -
Best Practices in Choose The Right "Meta Description Tag"
Hi there! In the "Meta Description Tag" we use some relevant-descriptive-useful-for-the-users keywords and we keep the length about 155 characters. In your opinion guys, is a good idea to add at the end of the "Meta Description Tag" a strong "call to action"? Maybe with some capital letter? Does it sound strange to Google? Even if this improve the Click Through on the SERPs? What are the best SEO practice to deal with "Meta Description Tag"?
Conversion Rate Optimization | | YESdesign0 -
Duplicating Product Titles in the Page-Content
I have been debating this with a few others within my office and we would like an outside opinion on this issue. This screenshot is of a new product grid I have been designing. I have decided to try something new for SEO that I have seen elsewhere. (see attached image) The page-content below the last products on the page, now have a small paragraph that contains all the products "titles" that are visible on the page. The intention is to capitalize on multiple search terms by using modifiers to replace special character sets within the title. For example: 46" 3 Seat Perforated Square Picnic Table = 46 Inch 3 Seat Perforated Square Picnic Table Not only does this give a secondary search term that could convert but increases the number if instances of "Table" within the page. Suggestions or Thoughts? Thanks! GviGn.jpg
Conversion Rate Optimization | | Highland0 -
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
Conversion Rate Optimization | | stukerr1