What Are Title Tags? [Plus Free Meta Title Preview Tool]

Updated by Chima Mmeje — March 18, 2025.

A title tag is the clickable headline that appears on search engine results pages (SERPs), browsers, and social media platforms. It acts as a webpage’s headline, or page title, and helps users and search engines understand the page’s content. A well-written title tag improves click-through rates (CTR) and boosts SEO performance.

Title tags (also known as meta titles or meta title tags) are essential on-page SEO elements that impact user experience and search engine rankings. They serve as users’ first impressions of your page and play a role in search engines’ indexing and ranking decisions. For instance, a clear and engaging title tag can set user expectations, leading to higher engagement.

Need help writing perfect title tags for your website? Use our free Title Tag Preview Tool by entering your title tag text below to see how it's likely to appear in Google's search results:

For the most accurate results, view on a desktop browser.

Note: You may also see title tags referred to as "meta titles" or "meta title tags" in some cases. While controversial with some, either usage is typically fine.

Examples of where title tags appear include:

Search engine results pages (SERPs)

Title tags appear as clickable blue links for a webpage in Google search results. For example, a SERP result might display a title tag like “Novato, California EV Charging Stations Info.” 

A page's title tag is crucial for SEO and user experience. It conveys the page's content to both searchers and search engine bots, affecting visibility and click-through rates on search engine results pages.

Browser tabs 

Title tags are displayed at the top of the browser, helping users navigate multiple tabs. When we click on that tag in the SERP to visit the webpage it links to, we can often see the title tag's text shown in the top browser tab of the page:

Social media shares

When sharing a page, the title tag is often used as the headline in the preview snippet. Crafting a perfect title tag is crucial for better engagement on social media. As seen in this example of a social post on Twitter, the title tag of “Let’s Learn About SEO & Content Marketing” is pulled from the page when the link to that page is tweeted. Different social platforms have slightly different formatting for this type of display:

Title tag optimization improves the visibility and attractiveness of your pages in search results.They are also crucial in search engine optimization (SEO) and user experience.

Here’s why they matter:

• Improve click-through rates (CTR): A compelling title tag is often the first thing users see in search results, encouraging them to click on your page over competitors.
• Help search engines understand your page: Search engines rely on title tags to understand the content and context of your page. A well-optimized title tag signals relevance for specific queries, improving your chances of ranking for target keywords.
• Improve user experience: Descriptive and accurate title tags set expectations. When your content aligns with the title’s promise, it reduces bounce rates and increases engagement.
• Supports branding efforts: Including your brand name in title tags reinforces recognition, especially for users familiar with your company.

Best practices for writing the perfect title tags include:

Keep it concise

Titles between 51— 60 characters tend to result in the fewest rewrites by Google. While Google may read longer titles, it often truncates or rewrites them for display.

Include primary keywords 

For better visibility and relevance, place your primary keyword as close to the beginning of the title tag as possible.

Write for humans and search engines

Make your title engaging and relevant to users while incorporating keywords naturally. Avoid overly mechanical or keyword-stuffed titles.

Add your brand name (when relevant)

For brand recognition, consider appending your company name to the end of the title tag (e.g., “Title Tag Preview Tool From Moz”).

Avoid keyword stuffing

Overloading your title tags with keywords can harm user experience and SEO. Stick to your primary keyword and relevant secondary keywords.

Ensure uniqueness 

Each webpage on your site should have a unique title tag to avoid missing duplicate title tags.

Align with your H1 tag 

Matching your title tag to your header 1 (H1) tag, which typically appears as the main heading on your webpage, can reduce the likelihood of Google rewriting your titles.

Analyze SERPs

Study the search results for your target keywords to understand what types of title tags perform well. Look beyond competitors’ titles to see Google’s SERP features, such as “People Also Ask” and “Related Searches.”

Here is a summary of Google's guidelines regarding writing title tags:

• Create unique, accurate titles for each webpage
• Keep your title tags brief
• Use the title tag to describe the page's content accurately
• Avoid stuffing the title tag with keywords

It's good to have these ground rules from Google when choosing what to write in your title tags, but it's also vital to know that best practices surrounding this element have changed over time as SERPs evolved and search engine behavior changed.

Moz Pro makes it easy to identify and fix title tag issues across your site. With the On-Demand Crawl feature, you can quickly spot problems like titles that are too long, missing, or duplicated, all of which can affect how your pages appear in search results.

Step 1: Run an On-Demand Crawl

From your Moz Pro dashboard, go to On-Demand Crawl and enter the subdomain or URL you want to analyze. Once the crawl is complete, you’ll get a full breakdown of SEO issues across your site.

Step 2: Review issues

In the Crawl Report, look under All Issues to find issue types like:

• Title too long
• Missing or duplicate titles
• Multiple titles

Step 3: Filter by title tag issues

Scroll down to the Pages Crawled section and use the Issue Types dropdown to filter for title-specific issues. 

This gives you a list of affected URLs along with page authority, crawl depth, and other SEO metrics. You can export this list as a CSV for reporting or use it to prioritize updates directly in your CMS.

Step 4: Optimize your title tags

Once you’ve identified pages with title issues:

Use Moz’s Title Tag Preview Tool to test revised titles for length and clarity before publishing.

Aim to keep titles under 60 characters to avoid truncation. Don't forget to include your primary keyword near the beginning and keep titles descriptive, not generic.

Title tags are essential for improving your website’s SEO, click-through rates, and user engagement. Create concise, keyword-rich titles to help search engines understand your content and capture user attention. Start optimizing your title tags today using Moz’s Title Tag Preview Tool.

What is a title tag?

A title tag is an HTML element that specifies the title of a webpage. It appears as the clickable headline in search engine results pages (SERPs), browser tabs, and social media previews. Title tags play a crucial role in SEO by helping search engines understand your content and improving click-through rates (CTR).

How do I find a title tag?

To view a title tag:

• Open the webpage in your browser.
• Right-click on the page and select View Page Source (or press Ctrl + U on Windows / Command + Option + U on Mac).
• Look for the <title> element in the <head> section of the HTML code.

Alternatively, you can use free tools like MozBar to quickly see the title tag of any webpage while browsing.

How important are title tags?

Title tags are vital for SEO and user engagement. They help search engines determine the content of your page, improve your rankings, and encourage users to click on your link in search results. Well-optimized title tags set clear expectations, leading to better user experience and reduced bounce rates.

What is the correct way to tag a title?

To tag a title in HTML:

Locate the <head> section of your webpage’s HTML. Then, add the <title> element with your desired text like this:

<title>Your Optimized Title Here</title

  Does Google rewrite title tags?

Yes, Google often rewrites title tags in search results. According to a Moz study of 57,832 title tags by Dr. Peter J. Meyers, Google rewrote 58%. Factors influencing rewrites include overly short or long titles, repetitive keywords, and title tags that don't match page content or search intent. Aim for concise titles (51-60 characters) to minimize rewrites, avoid keyword repetition, and align title tags with your H1 headers.

How long should a title tag be?

While Google does not specify a recommended title tag length, most browsers can display a title tag's first 50–60 characters. If you keep your titles under 60 characters, our research suggests that you can expect about 90% of your titles to display correctly in the SERPs.

Are title tags a Google ranking factor?

Yes, what you write in your title tags can impact your rankings in Google. Google’s John Mueller has stated, “Titles are important for SEO and are used as a ranking factor.” However, it’s essential to know that Google representatives and professional SEOs emphasize that the title tag element is just one of many factors that impact rankings. The degree to which a title tag impacts a given set of rankings cannot be definitively stated.

• The Beginner's Guide to SEO

• 9.5 Ways Google Rewrites Your Title Tags

• SEO Master Class: Advanced Title Tag Optimization (for Any Site) - Webinar

• 7 Title Tag Hacks for Increased Rankings + Traffic - Whiteboard Friday

• Title Tags SEO: When to Include Your Brand and/or Boilerplate