Title Tags Improve Search Engine Rankings
by Mark Aaron Murnahan (blog)
The title tag is the undisputed most important part of a Web page. It is the title that you give to each page of your Website. Just how important is the title tag? In order to answer this, I will direct you to the very top of your browser window, even above the address bar. You will see the title of this page right there at the top, as if the Web browser was built with our page title already in it. Just like people, search engine spiders (the computers used by search engines to gather information about a page), will read your Web page from the top and move downward. The title gives the first, and most important impression, just as it should. If you want to improve your search engine rankings, you should get familiar with this tiny little piece of HTML, and make it your friend.
What to Include in a Title Tag
This is an area of this topic that can be disputed. Some will insist that it should be branded with your company name or your overall Website title (the title of your home page). The argument is that it provides better branding, which is true. Some people may scroll a little more to find a page written by somebody they already trust and in a style familiar to them. The other side of this argument is that it will, indeed, place your page below those with only the most focused and pertinent information about the page in the title. For example, a page titled "HTML Title Tag - Web Page Titles and Using Title Tags" is more focused than one titled "YourNew.com - HTML Title Tag - Web Page Titles and Using Title Tags" The logic here is that if it is on the top of search engine results, it is more important than being branded and landing a couple of pages deep into the results. After all, the domain name is right there for users to see that it is you, and most people who really want to read an article from a specific source will notice the Web address right there in the search engine response. Fortunately for YourNew.com, search engines agree with us that the latter of these arguments is the right choice, and thus, place our writing above one with the same page title prepended with a company name or URL.
How to Use Title Tags
Using title tags is easy, but not always understood. Any Website developer should know how to use the title tag, but few know what is best to include within them. Also, many people try to develop their own site using site builders such as Microsoft Frontpage or online Website builders. Some site builders make it obvious to add a page title, but many apparently do not. This is why there are millions of pages on the Internet today titled "New Page 1" and with a file name of "newpage1.html". Sadly, this tells the user and the search engine spiders nothing about the site, except that is was done carelessly. People really do care about whether you considered them when you created your Website, so do not be fooled. They will compare you directly against your competition, and if the competitor took more care in providing a good and useful Website, you soon get lost deep in their click-trails, if they ever found you at all.
HTML Title Tag Length
There are varying opinions about the proper title tag length, but under 60 characters is the best practice. The longer you make your title, the more it loses emphasis. Additionally, a long title tag could make your pages appear to be "keyword spamming" or "keyword stuffing", and a quick Google search for Matt Cutts, the engineer at Google who is in charge of mitigating keyword spamming will provide you with extensive reading and videos on his take on the subject.
HTML Title Tag Example
In order to illustrate the proper use of the HTML title tag, simply copy the code in the box below and paste it into a Web page, or a text file, and name it test.html (or something like that). When you open it in a browser window, you will see the title of the page at the very top of your Web browser window. For this demonstration, I have also included the html tags, head tags, h1 tags, and body tags so you can see how this will relate to other portions of your page.
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What is Search Engine Optimization?
by Mark Aaron Murnahan (blog)
Search engine optimization, also called SEO, is a practice of refining Websites for optimal inclusion in search engine databases for the most important search phrases or keywords for the content of the Website. SEO includes many factors, including the page content, layout, programming, and link popularity (e.g. Google PageRank). For a better understanding of SEO, visit this article on search engine optimization.
Does SEO Really Work?
Yes, SEO works, but only if it is done right. Like companies in any competitive industry, SEO firms are not created equal. The industry has grown so fast that thousands of SEO "professionals" have sprung from the woodwork. Buyer beware! There is a very short list of firms that are truly viable. YourNew.com has been providing search engine optimization for over seven years, with professionals having over a decade of experience in the field. We work very strictly within the guidelines set forth in the Google Webmaster Guidelines, and only use proven and ethical means to improve search engine position for our clients.
How Important is Search Engine Optimization?
To understand how important search engine optimization is, just look at the growth pattern of the Internet. What we have encountered so far is just the tip of an enormous Internet marketing iceberg. There has never been a faster growing marketplace, and in order to capture your share of the Internet market, you must be precise in your efforts. With qualified estimates showing 41% of an average person's media intake coming from the Internet, and Internet marketing accounting for double-digit percentages of an average company's marketing budget and rising fast, it is more challenging than ever to be competitive in search engine results. Hiring a professional SEO firm is the best way to gain a competitive edge in this fast growing Internet market. You will not capture your target audience by accident. Just try to think of your Website like a television commercial for a moment. When the production of the commercial is completed, you still have to put it on the air for it to provide any benefit. Similarly, your Website will need to be aired in order to reach your audience. There is no better way to achieve this than by gaining organic search engine results. Maximizing your organic search engine results takes professional SEO.
What are Organic Search Engine Results?
"Organic" is a term used to describe the results that a search engine returns based on the relevance of the Web page to the user's search. Organic search engine results are based on the merits of the Website, including the Website content and popularity (measured by incoming links), as opposed to "Sponsored Links" also known as "Pay-Per-Click" methods which cost the advertiser money each time somebody clicks on the link. Organic search engine results last longer, and will provide a far better return on investment (ROI) in the long run, which is the run that matters.
This article provides a great example of the effect of SEO on organic search engine ranking. The fact that you have landed on this page is not a mystery. You are here because I used what I know to bring you here, using organic search engine results.
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