Search experts may debate about a lot of things but most of them will agree that the title tag is the most important onpage SEO factor. In fact, in survey done by 37 search experts, the title tag was the number one search ranking factor. It trumped even anchor text and quality of links.
However, I find that many bloggers don’t take the few minutes (or even seconds) it takes to make sure their title tags have relevant keywords.
For example, I checked out some popular blogs from different niches and found these title tags on recent posts that could be optimized better.
Current Title Tag (C): Google Zurich Office Tour
Recommended Title Tag (R): Google Zurich Office Tour (Pictures and a Video)
This post had pictures and a video of the Google Zurich office. In my experience, pictures and video are common search terms regardless of the industry.
C: Turning the Camera on Doctors’ Lives
R: Doctors’ Diaries TV Show on PBS Nova: A Documentary about Doctors
This post was about a new documentary on PBS. When blogging about specific TV shows, it’s a good idea to include the title of the show. And I could picture many people typing in tv show or documentary about doctors.
C: Hanging Up the Gloves? De La Hoya Plans Big Announcement
R: Will Oscar De La Hoya Retire? Press Conference Coming Soon
I used Oscar De La Hoya’s full name and the relevant keywords retire and press conference.
C: Weekend Fun and Games
R: Fun Activities and Games for Kids This 2009 Easter Weekend
This post was about activities parents could do with their kids for this Easter weekend. The current title tag was very general so I added more specific keywords.
I hope these examples help you craft better title tags. The key is putting yourself in the shoes of the internet searcher. What would they type in Google to find your blog post?
If you like, you can leave your blog URL in the comments and I’ll check out your posts and give recommendations.
