SEO Quiz

Q: How many keywords should be stuffed into the title element of a page, for SEO purposes? How long should the title element be, for optimal SEO?

A:  It depends. But first, lets look at what TheExperts say.  SEOMoz says it’s a “title tag” and 65 characters is the limit, because more than that leads to ellipses (like this…) and that Google is accepting 70 characters sometimes. Otherwise they say focus on the user reading it, for things like visitor expectation, repeat the title in an H1, etc. SearchEngineLand says listen to SEOMoz about title tags. Jill over at HighRankings says use the “title tag” for branding (have the company name in there) and then use target keywords. She likes “long” title tags.

Truth is, it is the Title Element (not “tag” and not “attribute”), and it should ” identify the content of the document in a fairly wide context”. It is recommended that the title element be limited to 65 characters (see W3C specification)

Now from a practical SEO perspective, why did I say “it depends”? Because the utility of the title element depends on the context of use. In a non-competitive search market, you can enjoy wonderful success with  lengthy keyword richl title elements. As the SERP gets more competitive, Google seems to consider the keywords in the title element differently than it does in non-competitive SERPs.  You can check this for yourself. Go ahead.. get creative

In very competitive SERPs, the keyword nature of the title element must be highly focused to have an impact on SEO.  Again, you can test this for yourself. You might find it has no SEO value at all, in which case you focus on the title element as a user invitation since it is displayed in the snippet.

I think this explains the anecdotal evidence highlighted by “experts” when they say things like “the title tag should be short and target your keyword” or “I like long title tags, with separators between keyword rich phrases like breadcrumbs” or “don’t worry about keyword content so much; focus on the user intent and the snippet”. These “experts” are working different markets, and therefore observing different search engine behavior.

In summary, selling viagra on the web? “Viagra” is a good title element for targeting “Viagra”, and “buy viagra online” is a good title element for “where to buy viagra online”, but “lowest prices for immediate delivery of Viagra” might perform the best as it draws the click from the eager viagra buyer. If you are one of two companies selling Polystyrene Left-handed Widgets in the web, however, then “ABC Company – for Polystyrene Left-handed Widgets and Polystyrene Left-handed Widget Accessories” might work very well for you, tying the known brand to the actual product, using mild keyword repetition in that non-competitive SERP with good SEO impact.

Why didn’t I give exact examples of optimal title elements? because SEO is a competitive industry. I don’t want to give you the best answers, because 1. You might be competing with me and 2. If everyone did it the same way, it would no longer work as a competitive tactic.

John Andrews is a search engine marketing specialist and SEO consultant in Seattle Washington.