How to Write Title Tags That Rank and Get Clicks

The title tag is the clickable headline of your page in search results, the text in the browser tab and often the default headline when the page is shared. It is one of the clearest signals you can give search engines about what a page covers – and one of the biggest influences on whether people click.

Writing good titles is a small skill with a large payoff. Here is how to do it.

What a title tag is

The title tag lives in the <head> of your HTML:

<title>Handmade Leather Wallets – Slim & Hand-Stitched | Acme</title>

It is not the same as the H1 heading on the page, although the two usually cover the same topic. In Google results the text shown is called a title link, and Google generates it mostly from your title tag – though not always, as we will see.

How long should a title be?

Google does not cut titles off at a fixed number of characters. It truncates them by width: roughly 580–600 pixels on desktop. In practice that is usually 50–60 characters, but a title packed with wide letters like W and M runs out of room sooner than one with narrow letters like i and l.

Guidelines that work:

• Aim for 30–60 characters
• Put the most important words in the first 50 characters
• Preview the title before publishing to see exactly where it would be cut

Longer titles are not penalised – Google can read the whole tag – but the cut-off part is invisible to searchers, and very long titles are more likely to be rewritten.

A simple formula that works

Most strong titles follow this structure:

Primary topic + specific benefit or detail | Brand

For example:

• Running Shoes for Flat Feet: 9 Models Tested | RunLab
• Emergency Plumber in Leeds – 24/7, No Call-Out Fee | FlowFix
• How to Descale an Espresso Machine (Step by Step) | BrewGuide

The primary topic tells search engines and readers what the page is about. The detail gives a reason to choose your result over the others. The brand builds recognition, especially if people already know you.

What to put in the title

The main keyword – naturally

Use the words people actually search for, near the start of the title. If people search for “cheap flights to Lisbon”, a title that says “Affordable Air Travel to Portugal’s Capital” misses the point.

A reason to click

Searchers scan results quickly. Specifics stand out:

• Numbers and quantities: “12 examples”, “in 5 minutes”, “under £50”
• Freshness, when it genuinely matters: “2026 prices”, “updated monthly”
• The format: “guide”, “checklist”, “template”, “calculator”
• Who it is for: “for beginners”, “for small businesses”

Accuracy

The title must match the page. A misleading title might earn a click, but disappointed visitors leave quickly – and Google is more likely to rewrite titles that do not reflect the content.

Why Google rewrites titles

Google sometimes shows a different title link from your title tag. It does this when it thinks the tag does not describe the page well for a particular search. Common triggers include:

• Very long titles that would be truncated
• Keyword stuffing, such as repeating the same phrase several times
• Boilerplate titles repeated across many pages (“Home”, “Products”, “Untitled”)
• Missing or outdated information, such as an old year
• A title that does not match the main heading on the page

When Google rewrites, it usually takes text from the H1, other headings, anchor text of links pointing to the page or the page content. The best way to keep control is to write a concise, accurate, unique title that agrees with your H1.

Title tag examples: before and after

Titles for different page types

Homepage. Brand plus what you do and, if relevant, where: Acme Plumbing – Emergency Plumbers in Leeds.

Category pages. The category name plus a qualifier: Men’s Waterproof Jackets – 120+ Styles | OutdoorCo.

Product pages. Product name, key attribute and brand: Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine – Stainless Steel.

Blog posts and guides. The question or task plus the format: How to Fix a Leaking Tap (Without Calling a Plumber).

Local landing pages. Service plus location: Wedding Photographer in Edinburgh | Jane Smith Photography.

Common mistakes to avoid

1. Duplicate titles. Every indexable page should have a unique title. Duplicates usually come from templates – fix them at the source.
2. Missing titles. A page without a title gives Google nothing to work with.
3. Keyword stuffing. It looks spammy and invites rewrites.
4. Brand first on every page. Unless your brand is the main thing people search for, put it at the end.
5. Hiding the topic behind cleverness. Puns and vague phrases rarely match what people search for.
6. Forgetting to update. If a title includes a year or a number of items, keep it accurate.

Find duplicate, missing, short and long titles across your whole site with a crawl.

How to test whether a new title works

Change titles on pages that already get impressions but have a low click-through rate – Search Console’s Performance report shows both. Record the date, make one change, and compare the average click-through rate over the following four to eight weeks with the same period before. Look at the same set of queries so changes in ranking position do not muddy the result.

How to write a title step by step

When you sit down to write a title, work through these steps:

1. Find the primary query. Look at Search Console for the queries the page already gets impressions for, or use keyword research for new pages.
2. Search it yourself. Look at the titles currently ranking. What do they promise? What is missing that your page offers?
3. Write the plain version first. “How to descale an espresso machine.” Clear, accurate, includes the query.
4. Add the differentiator. What makes your page the better click? “In 15 minutes”, “with citric acid”, “for Breville and DeLonghi”.
5. Add the brand at the end if space allows.
6. Check the length in a preview and trim filler words like “the ultimate”, “complete” and “everything you need to know” if they push important words out of view.
7. Read it aloud. If it sounds like a robot wrote it, rewrite it.

Title templates for large sites

Sites with thousands of pages – e-commerce, directories, listings – cannot handwrite every title. Use templates that combine real data fields, and handwrite only the most important pages.

Test templates by previewing a sample of real outputs. Watch for very long product names that push everything else out of view, and for empty fields that leave awkward gaps.

Titles and click-through rate

A title’s job does not end at ranking. Two pages in positions three and four can receive very different amounts of traffic depending on how compelling their titles are. Small improvements add up: a page with 20,000 impressions a month that moves from a 2% to a 3% click-through rate gains 200 extra visits every month without any change in ranking.

To find candidates, filter Search Console’s Performance report for pages with many impressions, an average position between 1 and 10, and a click-through rate below what you see for similar pages. Those are the titles worth rewriting first.

Branding in titles

Where should your brand go? For most pages, at the end, separated by a dash or pipe. Put the brand first only when the brand is what people search for – your homepage, your login page or a page about your company. Keep the separator consistent across the site.

Google may also show your site name separately above the title link on many results. You can influence it by setting WebSite structured data with your preferred name and using it consistently on your homepage.

Key takeaways

• Keep titles to roughly 50–60 characters, because Google truncates by pixel width at around 600 pixels.
• Put the main topic near the start and a specific reason to click after it, with your brand at the end.
• Every indexable page needs a unique, accurate title that agrees with its H1.
• Google rewrites titles that are too long, stuffed with keywords, boilerplate or out of date.
• Improve titles on pages with many impressions but a low click-through rate first.
• Use data-driven templates for large sites and handwrite titles for your most important pages.

Frequently asked questions

Is the title tag a ranking factor?

Yes. It is one of the main ways search engines understand what a page is about. Its bigger impact is often on click-through rate, which determines how much traffic a ranking actually brings.

Should the title and H1 be the same?

They should describe the same topic but can be worded differently. The title is optimised for search results; the H1 is the headline for people already on the page.

Should I include the year in my titles?

Only if the content is genuinely updated for that year and freshness matters to searchers, such as for prices, reviews or regulations. Remember to update it every year.

How do I write titles in WordPress?

Your theme sets a default title format. An SEO plugin such as Yoast, Rank Math or All in One SEO lets you write a custom title for each post and page and set templates for archives.