01-30-2014, 05:32 PM
How Long Should a Meta Title Be in Length?
Generally, a title should be long enough to be clear; short enough to avoid being "truncated."
Truncation happens when a title is too long. Search engine robots will only read so many characters then move on. Different search engines read different numbers of characters but if you keep your titles less than 75 characters you will keep most major search engine robots happy (Google sometimes seems to stop about as few as 70 characters.)
Examples of "Bad" Meta Titles
The following example meta titles are too vague and do not give either robots or site readers enough information:
When creating meta titles:
Generally, a title should be long enough to be clear; short enough to avoid being "truncated."
Truncation happens when a title is too long. Search engine robots will only read so many characters then move on. Different search engines read different numbers of characters but if you keep your titles less than 75 characters you will keep most major search engine robots happy (Google sometimes seems to stop about as few as 70 characters.)
Examples of "Bad" Meta Titles
The following example meta titles are too vague and do not give either robots or site readers enough information:
- Flowers
- Population Statistics
- Chocolate Indulgence
- E-Z Tax Tips
- Tips on Growing Flowers, How to Grow Flowers
- 2008 US Population Statistics, Number of People In United States
- Chocolate Dessert Recipe, Best Baked Chocolate Recipes
- Tax Advice, Tips on How to Pay Less Taxes
- They help robots understand what is most important about the content on the page by repeating part of the keyword phrases that would be found in article titles and content;
- They make sense to people reading them; and
- By using different words meaning the same or similar things without actually repeating them (spam) and using plurals when sensible, it allows for greater possibilities for appearing in searches for the same information but on different terms.
When creating meta titles:
- Do repeat keyword ideas in different words - no more than twice is usually best;
- Do tie these phrases to your content and other meta data;
- Do use plurals and word variations when possible;
- Do limit the use of punctuation; and
- Do use initial caps throughout the title.