Choosing titles for web pages, articles, blogs and newsletters when doing any search engine optimization work, is much more important than one might think. These titles are what would be displayed as the page title of an individual’s search results on a particular search engine which essentially means that it is the part of the results that could drive someone to a particular site, or send them to another one.

It is thus vital that the correct words are used to increase both the search engine optimization as well as the actual traffic generated once good rankings are achieved. It is a well known fact that certain keywords have absolutely flooded the search engines and search engine optimization consultants are constantly looking at ways to improve rankings while competing with so many others, who are doing exactly what they are doing.

Titles should therefore be well thought out and not just something done as a last minute solution. There are also some guidelines to follow when working with titles that will give more insight, improve search engine results and as an end result attract the right kind of traffic.

Keyword Stuffing

Keyword stuffing is generally seen as a type of black hat SEO and should be avoided, especially in titles. The major search engines have recently started using human site controllers who go around specifically looking for things like this. Keyword stuffing your title will also be picked up by the spiders and could very well get a site banned from a particular search engine. People doing the searches want to see a title that makes sense to them with regards to the particular topic that they searched. Keyword stuffing will be seen as spam and is not only negative for a site’s search engine future, but will also look bad to the human eye. And remember, ultimately all search engine optimization is for humans, as they are the ones clicking the button to go to a specific site at the end of the day.

The KISS principle

Keep it short and simple. Most search engines will allow for 60-65 characters and ignore any text after that. If you have a long title and your keywords only feature late, it might be missed. By keeping it simple, you will give your keywords maximum effect and a much higher chance of being picked.
Avoid Fillers.
Words like and, or, is, as an example, can often have a negative effect on SEO Rankings. As search engines read in code, keywords will be missed when placed next to fillers.

Keyword Analysis Programs

It is not easy to guess or predict which keywords or phrases people will use when they are searching for particular products or services. In fact, one can completely miss the SEO bus by using the incorrect keywords. The use of SEO keyword analysis programs will help determine which keywords will be most effective. Results will usually be in a Supply and Demand format and the most effective words to use in a title would be ones with the highest demand and the least supply. That, at the end of the day, is the secret of SEO keywords.

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