The title you choose for your website is very, very important to overall site optimization, search engine ranking and traffic flow. Moreover, it should be easy to remember and not so close to a competitor’s name that people go elsewhere. For example, if a competitors site is ‘lowcostresumes’ you don’t want to use ‘verylow costresumes’. They’re just too close together.
Choosing the wrong title for your website can actually harm your business because having an intelligently-selected title can dramatically influence your ranking on search engine directories. In addition, the right title listed on the directories can actually result in more traffic to your site.
The website title that you select should briefly describe to visitors just what your site is all about. If possible, you want people to click on your directory listing and be taken to your website, not some competitive site on the page. Consider these factors in making your selection:
A. Use highly relevant keywords
You already know that keywords are nothing more than the words and phrases that visitors place in their browser search bars in order to find the type of website they are seeking. Logically, then, one or more of the most relevant keywords also belong in the title of your website and as close to the beginning of the title as possible. For example, if you are targeting visitors who enter the keyword phrase “used laptops”, then you could have a website title such as “Used Laptops at Affordable Prices”.
Here, you have used your keyword right up front in the title which stresses its importance to the search engines. If, instead, your title had been “Affordable Prices for Used Laptops”, your important keyword would have absolutely no prominence.
B. If possible, use your main keyword twice in your title
This is harder to accomplish with a keyword phrase than a single keyword, but not impossible. For example, your title might be: “Used Laptops: We offer used laptops at affordable prices.” The colon: after Used Laptops makes this possible without destroying the relevance of your title.
C. Use a title that persuades & motivates visitors
The best way to persuade a visitor to click on your directory listing instead of one above or below you is to make your title compelling. This means that it should touch right on what he’s searching for. If this isn’t the case, your visitor may click on another listing that better fits his search even if you are number 1 on the page.
D. Consider your title carefully. You can only use 65 characters.
Almost every search engine limits the length of your title to 65 characters or less. Google displays between 60 and 66 characters. Under most circumstances, this is plenty of space for a title and enough for a few of your most important keywords.
You can, of course use other less-important keywords and key phrases in the body copy of your web pages.
