Title tag: how to write one that ranks and gets clicked

The title tag is the <title> element in a page's head, and a good one names the page's single topic in the words people search, with the most specific words first and the brand last. Google uses it as the main source for the clickable headline in results and as a ranking signal, browsers show it in the tab, and chat apps fall back to it when a link has no Open Graph title. This guide is one part of our map of meta tags for SEO: it shows how to write title tags that Google keeps instead of rewriting and that get clicked, with patterns and examples per page type, then where to set them in each CMS. Plan ten minutes per template and a minute per hand-written page.

Quick answer

• One topic per title, in the searcher's words, the most specific words first and the brand last.
• About 30-60 characters. Google cuts long titles by pixel width; SEO title length explains the limit.
• Unique across the site. Two pages with one title compete with each other.
• Close to the H1, not identical to it. Two phrasings of the same topic cover more searches.
• Google rewrites titles that are boilerplate, stuffed with keywords, too long or out of step with the page's headline. The fix is a better title, not a trick.
• Check any page with the free meta tags checker: it shows the title, its length and whether it repeats the H1.

What is a title tag?

The title tag is one line of HTML inside the <head>:

<head>
  <title>Alpina Pro trekking shoe, waterproof · Outdoor Shop</title>
</head>

"SEO title", "meta title", "page title" and "title tag" all mean this element. SEO plugins call their field "SEO title" because it can differ from the page's visible headline, the H1: the H1 greets someone already on the page, while the title competes with nine other results for the click.

Visitors never see the title on the page itself. They see it as the blue headline in Google (Google calls it the "title link"), in the browser tab, in bookmarks and history, and in a shared link's preview when og:title is missing. Screen readers announce it when a page loads, which is why WCAG 2.2 requires a descriptive page title (success criterion 2.4.2).

Why the title tag matters

The words in the title are a ranking signal, a modest one, and the title is a large part of what people read before they choose a result. A page about waterproof trekking shoes titled "Product 4412" can rank for "product 4412" and little else. The same page titled "Alpina Pro waterproof trekking shoe" has a chance for every phrase in that line, and a searcher can tell at a glance that it is the page they want.

When Google rewrites it

Since August 2021 Google builds the title link from several sources, not only the <title>. Its Search Central page on title links lists them: the <title> element, the main visual title on the page, heading elements such as the H1, the og:title meta tag, other large and prominent text, other page content, anchor text on the page, the text of links pointing to the page, and WebSite structured data. In September 2021 Google said it uses the title element about 87% of the time.

It leans on the other sources when the title has one of the problems it documents:

• Half-empty or boilerplate: "| Outdoor Shop", "Home", "Products" repeated on many pages.
• Too long: the title runs past the space, so Google picks a shorter headline from the page.
• Keyword stuffing: "Shoes, cheap shoes, buy shoes, running shoes online".
• Obsolete: "2024 catalogue" on a page updated this year.
• Inaccurate or mismatched: the title promises something the page does not contain, or says something different from the visible headline.

A title that says what the page is about, in the words a searcher uses, close to what the visible headline says, is the title Google keeps.

How getReport checks it

The checker fetches the page, reads the first non-empty <title> in the HTML the server sends and counts its characters. Three findings come out of it. The first fails when there is no title at all; the second warns when the count is under 30 or over 60; the third compares the title with the first H1, ignoring case and extra spaces, and warns when they are identical. The evidence line of each finding quotes the title, so you see the exact text the page sends.

The length check counts characters, not pixels, because the page cannot know which font Google renders in. When the title is in the window and Google still shows something else, the problem is wording, not length. The page title fix page has the short version of the rules.

How to write title tags for SEO, step by step

1. Decide the one idea for the page

Write down the query the page should win, in the words a searcher types: "trekking shoes women waterproof", not "our premium footwear collection". If you cannot name one query, the page is either a home page (the brand is the query) or two pages that should be split.

2. Use the pattern for the page type

These title tag examples follow one rule: topic first, one specific, brand last.

A specific ("48 models", "open Sundays") earns more trust than an adjective ("best", "premium"), and one topic ranks where "Shoes, jackets, backpacks and more" ranks for nothing in particular. Write in sentence case, without ALL CAPS or ||| decoration.

3. Put the brand last, with one separator

Google truncates from the end, so "Trekking shoes · Outdoor Shop" survives and "Outdoor Shop · Trekking shoes" becomes "Outdoor Shop · Trekk…". A separator costs three characters including the spaces; "-", "|" and "·" all work. Pick one for the whole site. If the brand pushes a title over the limit, drop it from that page: Google shows the site name next to the result on its own, from WebSite structured data or the domain. The pixel and character details, and six ways to shorten a long title, are in SEO title length.

4. Make the H1 agree without copying it

The H1 and the title should describe the same thing in different words, so the page covers two phrasings:

<head>
  <title>Alpina Pro trekking shoe, waterproof, sizes 36-47 · Outdoor Shop</title>
</head>
<body>
  <h1>Alpina Pro waterproof trekking shoe</h1>
</body>

When they are word-for-word identical the report warns, because the second phrasing is spent on nothing. When they contradict each other ("Trekking shoes" against "Summer sale"), Google tends to show the H1, which is a rewrite you caused. The H1 tag guide covers the headline side.

5. Handle pagination and filters

Page 2 of a category is a different page with the same title, which is the definition of a duplicate. Add the page number: "Women's trekking shoes, page 2 · Outdoor Shop". WordPress core does this itself in wp_get_document_title(), Yoast and Rank Math have a page variable, and Shopify's Dawn theme appends "Page 2" in theme.liquid.

Filter pages (?colour=blue&size=42) either get their own title ("Blue trekking shoes in size 42") when you want them indexed, or a canonical to the unfiltered category when you do not. Duplicate titles and descriptions across a site covers finding the duplicates this produces.

6. Set it where the CMS expects

WordPress without an SEO plugin prints "Page name | Site name" from wp_get_document_title(). The separator and the parts are filterable; this drops the site name on long titles and sets the separator to a middle dot. It goes in a small plugin file so it survives theme updates:

<?php
// wp-content/mu-plugins/document-title.php
add_filter('document_title_separator', function () {
    return '·';
});

add_filter('document_title_parts', function ($parts) {
    if (isset($parts['title'], $parts['site']) && mb_strlen($parts['title']) > 45) {
        unset($parts['site']);
    }
    return $parts;
});

Static sites and custom code: the layout renders front matter into <title>. Keep the template short and let the page's own title: carry the topic:

<title>{{ page.title }} · {{ site.name }}</title>

Do not fall back to the site name when page.title is empty; a build that produces "· Outdoor Shop" on ten pages is worse than a build error. One place should own the title: if a component, a router and the layout each set document.title, the result depends on which ran last, and chat apps read only the HTML the server sends.

Platform notes

WordPress

Yoast SEO: the site-wide template is under Yoast SEO → Settings → Content types → Posts (and Pages), field "SEO title", built from the Title, Separator and Site title variables. The separator and the website name are under Settings → Site basics. Per page, the "SEO title" field in the Yoast box overrides the template.

Rank Math: the template is under Rank Math SEO → Titles & Meta → Posts, "Single Post Title", default %title% %sep% %sitename%; the separator is under Titles & Meta → Global Meta; per page, the Rank Math icon at the top right of the editor → Edit Snippet → Title.

In both, if most titles are too long, the site name is the usual reason: shorten it or drop %sitename% from the template. The WordPress checker shows the plugin's fix steps when it detects Yoast or Rank Math.

Shopify

Each product, collection, page and blog post has a "Search engine listing" section at the bottom of its editor with a "Page title" field; the home page title is under Online Store → Preferences. The theme prints them in layout/theme.liquid. Dawn's pattern handles pagination, tags and the shop name:

<title>
  {{ page_title }}
  {%- if current_tags %}: tagged "{{ current_tags | join: ', ' }}"{% endif -%}
  {%- if current_page != 1 %}: Page {{ current_page }}{% endif -%}
  {%- unless page_title contains shop.name %}: {{ shop.name }}{% endunless -%}
</title>

If your shop name is long, remove the last line, or shorten the name under Settings → Store details.

How to check it worked

• Re-run the meta tags checker: "The page has a <title>", "Title is N characters; a good length" and "Title and H1 are different" pass, and the evidence line shows the text you wrote.
• Search Google for the page's exact title in quotes. If the result shows different words, compare them with your H1 and move the title towards it.
• Search Console → Performance → Pages: the click-through rate at the same average position should rise over four to six weeks, the time a title needs to be recrawled and measured.

Common mistakes

• Site name first. "Outdoor Shop | Women's trekking shoes" is cut to "Outdoor Shop | Women's tr…" on a phone.
• The same title on every page from a theme that prints the site name alone. Check the template before the pages.
• Title identical to the H1. One phrasing instead of two, and the report warns.
• Chasing a rewrite with tricks. Hiding the H1 or stuffing the title with the query does not stop Google; a title that matches the headline does.
• Changing titles every week. Each change resets the measurement. Change, wait six weeks, then read Search Console.
• Titles written for the CMS: "Home", "Untitled", "New page", the SKU.

Questions people ask

What is an SEO title?

An SEO title is the text in the page's <title> element, the headline Google usually shows as the clickable link in results. SEO plugins such as Yoast and Rank Math call their field "SEO title" because it can differ from the visible headline on the page. Write it for the search: the page's topic in the words people type, the specific detail next and the brand last, in about 30-60 characters.

Is the title tag a ranking factor?

Yes, a modest one. Google reads the words in the title to understand what the page is about, so a title that names the topic helps the page rank for it. The bigger effect is on clicks: the title is the headline people compare before they choose a result. A title stuffed with keywords helps neither, and Google is likely to replace it with the page's H1.

Should I put my brand name in the title tag?

Usually yes, at the end, after a separator: "Trekking shoes for women · Outdoor Shop". A known brand earns clicks, but it should never push the topic out of the visible part. When the title is already long, drop the brand from it; Google shows the site name next to the result anyway, taken from WebSite structured data or the domain.

Can two pages have the same title tag?

They can, but they should not. Pages with the same title look interchangeable to searchers and to Google, which may show only one of them or rewrite both. Give each page a title that names its own topic: add the product attribute, the location or the page number. On large sites the cause is usually a template, so fix the pattern rather than every page.

How long does it take for a new title tag to show in Google?

Usually from a few days to a few weeks. Google has to recrawl the page before it can show the new title, which happens sooner for pages it visits often. You can speed it up with URL Inspection → Request indexing in Search Console. Wait four to six weeks before judging the effect on clicks, because the numbers need that long to settle.