Crafting the Best Meta Tag and Title

For a very long time. information on how to write metas, was non-existent on the internet. There were a few mentions of it but most were inaccurate. Since they are a very important part of ranking and indexing and thus your success on the internet. I felt it was worth a post.

What is the Meta and Title Tag

The Meta and Title tag consist of a title, description, and although not used much anymore, a keyword tag. The Title and Meta tag represent the text you see in search results and are specific to each page of your website. Though many do not know this, the title is an indicator for google on how to file your website in its index. So if your wondering how important it is, the answer is – extremely.

Why Making it on Page 1 of the SERPs is Only Half the Battle

So you’ve made it on page 1 of the SERPS (search engine results pages) and while you may be cheering loudly, what you should know is that you’re only halfway there. The battle is not over just yet. Now you have to get a searcher to click on your result amongst the 25 or so other results on that page, which includes ads. This is precisely where crafting a good Meta tag is really important.

How To Write A Good Meta Tag and Title For Each Page?

Believe it or not, creativity does not get much play when it comes to Meta tags. Clear, concise, and relevant are the operative words for this task.

Step 1. Pretend you are a searcher. Type the keyword relevant to the page your writing the tags for, into a google search, and review the listings that appear. Take note of how others have written their tags and consider what things you will include into yours.

Step 2. Take the search all the way and find the result that you would choose on that page considering the search term, and ask yourself why you chose that one.

If you were a searcher which result on that page would you select and why? Remember, you are likely scanning thru the results looking for the one that closely matches what you searched for.

Step 3. Incorporate your main keyword for the page into the first or second part of the tag. You can even include it in both parts if space permits. See the examples below

Step 4. Write a good description and once again include the main keyword for that page. Your description should tell a searcher what they will see when they visit that page and how this page will assist them with the information they are looking for.

Step 5. Include a call to action in your Description Tag.

I see many people putting their company name in the first part of the tag. If you consider how someone scans a page looking for the most relevant result matching their search, it’s easy to understand the benefits of using a keyword as opposed to your company name, in the first part of the tag. But there are exceptions to every rule.

Caveat Alert:

*Sometimes Google will alter your title tag for you. As in the example above, where the company name was moved to the first part of the tag from the 3rd position. If you notice that your title tag is showing up differently in search than you have written it, then it’s likely that Google has altered your tag and probably for a good reason. Judging by the number of searches per month for the keyword “Zenventory”, Google felt it beneficial to move “Zenventory” to the front of the tag, from the the 3rd position where I had previously put it. If you know that a lot of searches use your company name then you may want to have your company name in the first part of the tag to make your relevance stand out. However for most, the non-branded keyword is the most relevant.

For eCommerce websites, writing good title tags is imperative to getting people to your site and making sales. Separate titles should be written for each product page. If the amount of products you have is overwhelming, consider writing tags for the important products manually and then use a bulk method, like a plugin, for the remaining.

Things to Consider

When writing your tags you should avoid diluting your keywords with too many connector words like, “and, but, to” etc. You are typically NOT writing full sentences here. In the first part of the tag, use just your keyword and nothing else. For maximum visibility, using your keyword uncluttered will be best. Additionally, space is limited. Short Fragments are also better for the scanned eye. Keywords should be in obvious positions so they stand out. I even capitalize the first letter of every word in the title and description tag. You want your result to jump off the page and say “pick me” “pick me”

Here’s a Quick Review on Writing a Good Tag Searchers will Click on:
1. Keyword Use 1 to 2 times in Title and at least once in the Description Tag
2. Use Keyword in the 1st position of the Title if possible uncluttered.
3. Avoid writing full sentences and the use of connecting words like “and, to, but” etc.
4. Be sure to stay under the maximum allowed characters for Title and Description. (For Title approx 70 characters is allowed and Description approx. 155 characters)

Track Inventory With Keywords

Consider adding your keyword to the descriptions field within your inventory tracking software. In Zenventory, this would allow you to look up your products using keyword searches. Additionally or as an alternative, you could add a custom field for your keyword to each product. This would allow you to print a list of your products and the keywords associated with each one. This is especially helpful if you have hundreds of products since tracking that many keywords and their associated products can be challenging. This will also be helpful for crafting your meta tags or the inclusion of a keyword into your content.