Q&A: How to Title Your Web Pages

Q: Do the titles of my Web pages really matter for search engine optimization (SEO)? What's the best way to construct them so I attract the right customers?

A: Search engines use all kinds of information to figure out what a Web page is about, and the title tag is one of the prime signals. (This is what you see in the top of your Internet browser window, and you can generally set it in your site’s content management system.) The title tag is also what search engines use when displaying the page in a list of search results — with words that match the searcher’s query in bold — so it’s an opportunity to engage with potential customers. Every page title should be unique and descriptive. Use words that your audience naturally searches for, and construct the title with those words first and your brand second. (That’s because searchers skim the left side of results when looking for matches to their query.) For instance, "Home" isn't a very descriptive title. "Cake Central" is better, but still doesn't describe the page. “How to Bake the Perfect Cake | Cake Central” is a great title because it describes what the page is about and conveys the brand.