How to place keywords strategically in title tags

Published 2/25/2009

Ever notice those words in the top-left corner of your web browser when you’re on a website? Some may even seem quite elaborate, while others are generic explanations of what the page is.

These “title tags” as they’re called are very important in helping your web site show up online. A title tag tells a search engine, like Google, what your page is about – and is what displays in search results.

Include your most important keywords in your title tag to ensure maximum rankings, as these are the terms people will most likely use to conduct a search on Google, Yahoo, etc. A solid list of keywords (or keyword phrases) is the foundation for any search engine optimization effort.

Take a moment and look at your title tags – generic terms like “Untitled Document”, “Welcome to our Ranch or Home Page”, “About Us” or “Contact Us” are very ineffective - your site appears lower in the rankings as no one uses these terms to search for your site.

A title tag can be around 60 characters, so use that space wisely - anything longer, you run the risk of it being chopped off by the search engines. And it is advisable to avoid using your company’s name as a title tag unless it is very well known and you’re certain it is a keyword phrase people may use on search engines to find you.

Phrases such as …” homepage”, “web”, “webpage” etc. should be avoided in a title tag. Known as stop words or dead weight words, they are so common that search engines ignore them or return search results not relevant to what the person is looking for.

Don’t risk a messy or unreadable title tag that’s stuffed with keywords!

Remember, it may get to the top of the search engines but someone has to read it and find it interesting before it can benefit you. Other stop words such as “the”, “of”, “that”, “is”, “and”, “to” and so forth can be used sparingly as they improve the readability of a title.

Compare the following two title tags:

* “Alpaca Angel Acres Homepage”
* “Colorado Alpaca Farm, Southern Colorado Alpaca Breeder: Alpaca Angel Acres”

The first tag is quite generic and will not likely help your farm’s visibility online since most people looking for information on alpacas will not know a specific ranch or breeder’s name.

The second tag on the other hand contains many general AND specific keyword phrases such as “alpaca”, “alpaca farm”, “alpaca breeder” along with keywords related to its location (“Colorado…” and “Southern Colorado…”). Not only will this descriptive tag gain more traction in the rankings but it will lure more visitors to the site.

Following the above steps can help you create interesting, keyword rich title tags to help your alpaca site rank high in the search engines and attract visitors. (See “Use your keywords to influence who will find you” here.)

You can also find out how many other website may be using your keywords in their titles. Google has a handy tool for you to find out. Go to the search bar and enter “intitle:put your title keywords here” and see how many other sites are using those keywords in their titles too.

Of course, you can engage SEOAlpaca to help find the best keywords and create unique, keyword rich title tags – a smart choice indeed if you’re serious about your alpaca web site’s rankings.

©2012
About SEO Alpaca: SEO Alpaca was created by SEO Advantage, an SEO firm serving the alpaca community with online marketing, web design, and SEO services since 2000. Learn more about custom alpaca website design and search engine optimization today at www.seoalpaca.com.

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