How to write a good page title
The title is the headline Google shows and the text in the browser tab. Keep it 30-60 characters, topic first, brand last, and different from the H1.
Step by step, with screenshots: SEO title length: how many characters fit before Google cuts it →
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What it is
A page title is the text inside the <title> tag in the page's head: the blue headline Google shows in search results and the label on the browser tab. It is usually the first thing a searcher reads about your page, so it decides whether they click.
Google has no fixed character limit but cuts titles at about 600 pixels, roughly 60 characters, and may rewrite titles that are very short, stuffed with keywords or the same on many pages. A title of 30-60 characters with the main topic first and your brand last usually survives as you wrote it.
OK looks like this: every page has exactly one title, it describes that page rather than the whole site, it is 30-60 characters, and it is not a copy of the H1. getReport checks all three and shows the title it found.
What a passing site looks like
- The page has a <title>fail · −10 ptseffort S
- Every crawled page has its own titlewarning · −3 ptseffort M
- Title length: passeswarning · −1.5 ptseffort S
- Title and H1 are differentwarning · −0.5 ptseffort S
1. The page has no <title>
Why it matters. The title is the headline Google shows in results and the text in the browser tab. Without it, the page is hard to find and hard to recognise.
- Add a <title> inside <head> that describes this page in 30-60 characters.
- In WordPress, set it under the page's SEO panel (Yoast, Rank Math) or the page title.
In a report the technical detail reads: Detected 0 <title> elements in the rendered document.
2. Duplicate titles
Why it matters. When several pages have the same title, Google cannot tell from the results which one answers a search, and it may show only one of them. Unique titles also help visitors pick the right tab.
- Give each page in a group a title that says what is different about it, such as the product name, the colour or the city.
- If two pages really are the same, keep one, redirect the other with a 301, or point its canonical tag at the one you keep.
- In WordPress, set titles per page in your SEO plugin; check the title template for categories and tag archives.
3. Title length
Why it matters. Google truncates titles past about 60 characters and may rewrite very short ones, so your chosen wording does not reach searchers.
- Rewrite the title to 30-60 characters, main topic first, brand last.
- Keep the most specific words at the start; they survive truncation.
4. Title and H1 are identical
Why it matters. The title competes in search results; the H1 greets visitors already on the page. Using the same words for both wastes the chance to cover a second phrasing searchers use.
- Keep the H1 as the on-page headline and rewrite the title for search, for example adding the key benefit or the brand.
Questions people ask
What is a title tag?
A title tag is the HTML element <title> in the head of a page that names the page. Google uses it as the clickable headline in search results, browsers show it in the tab, and social apps fall back to it when a link has no Open Graph title. Every page needs its own, written for the searcher.
How do you write title tags for SEO?
Write one specific title per page, 30-60 characters long, with the main topic in the first few words and the brand at the end. Use the words people actually search, describe what this page offers, and avoid repeating the same title across pages. In WordPress, set it in your SEO plugin's panel for each page.
How long should a title tag be?
Aim for 30-60 characters. Google cuts titles at about 600 pixels wide, which is roughly 60 characters, and may rewrite titles that are much shorter because they do not describe the page well. Put the most important words first so they survive if the end is cut.
Should the title tag and the H1 be different?
Yes, ideally they differ slightly. The title competes in search results next to other pages, while the H1 greets people already on your page. Using a second phrasing lets you cover another way people search, for example a benefit or the brand in the title and a plain headline in the H1.
Why does Google show a different title from mine?
Google rewrites titles it thinks do not describe the page well: ones that are too long, stuffed with keywords, missing, or identical on many pages. It then builds a headline from your H1 or other text. Keep the title accurate, unique and 30-60 characters, and Google will use it in most cases.