Page Title SEO: 6 Data-Backed Recommendations From Analyzing 300,000 Webpages

BySEOer Last Update on

Your page title is one of the most important on-page SEO elements. It‘s a key relevancy signal to search engines and a decisive factor in whether searchers click on your result.

So what makes an effective page title for SEO? To find out, we analyzed over 300,000 webpages and 5.7 million data points, looking at how titles correlated with Google rankings.

Here are the 6 key recommendations that emerged from our research, along with the data to back them up. Implement these best practices to craft better page titles that drive more organic traffic.

Why Page Titles Matter for SEO

Before diving into the specific recommendations, it‘s worth quickly reviewing why optimizing your page titles is so critical for SEO success:

  1. Rankings: Page titles are a primary relevancy signal that help search engines understand what your page is about. Well-optimized titles can boost your rankings for target keywords.
  2. Click-Through Rates: Your page title is the main headline searchers see in the organic results. A compelling title can entice more clicks and visits, even if you‘re not ranking #1.
  3. Topical Context: Combined with other on-page elements like your H1 tag, the title provides important context to search engines about your page‘s overall topic and how it should rank.

For a deeper dive, check out our other post on why title tags and H1s are essential for SEO.

About the Page Title Analysis

To uncover title tag best practices, we analyzed over 300,000 individual webpages ranking for 10,000 English keywords with at least 1,000 monthly searches.

In total, the analysis incorporated over 5,700,000 data points looking at how page titles correlated with keyword rankings in Google search results as of February 2023.

The goal was to identify the common characteristics and patterns of page titles that tended to rank higher in Google for their target keywords and search phrases.

Here are the 6 key recommendations that emerged.

1. Include Your Target Keywords

This may seem obvious, but the first step to an optimized page title is ensuring it includes the primary keywords you‘re trying to rank for.

Our analysis found that while an exact-match of the full keyword phrase is not always required to rank in Google, pages that included their target keywords somewhere in the title tended to appear higher in search results.

For example, while Tinder.com ranks for the term "date app" without either of those words in its title tag, that‘s more the exception than the rule. Most of the top-ranking pages for that keyword include at least one of those words.

Including keywords in your title helps confirm to Google that your page is highly relevant for that search query. It‘s also a relevancy signal to searchers scanning results that your page matches their intent and is worth clicking on.

However, avoid excessive keyword stuffing which can come across as spammy and manipulative. Focus on naturally incorporating keywords in a compelling title.

2. Put Keywords at the Start of the Title

Where you place keywords in your page title also matters. In general, the closer to the beginning, the better.

According to our analysis, pages with their target keywords at the start of their title tended to rank higher than those with keywords placed later on.

There are a few reasons why this might help with SEO:

  • Having keywords up front quickly confirms the page‘s relevancy to search engines
  • Front-loaded keywords are more likely to catch searchers‘ eyes and generate clicks
  • Keywords at the start are less likely to get cut off in search result snippets

For example, for the search "best electric cars," the top ranking pages tend to start with those exact keywords:

  1. Best Electric Cars 2023 | Top EVs Today | Autotrader
  2. The 11 best electric cars to buy in 2024 – Roadshow
  3. 10 Best EVs and Electric Cars in 2024 – Car and Driver

So when crafting your page titles, try to put your most important keywords as early as possible while still sounding natural. This can help your SEO on multiple fronts.

3. Group Multiple Keywords Together

Many searches today involve longer keyword phrases rather than just individual words. Our analysis found that about 30% of Google searches contain 4+ word queries.

For these longer keyword targets, it‘s best to group the individual words close together in your page title rather than scatter them apart. Ideally, use the exact keyword phrase if it fits naturally.

Grouping keywords together helps confirm the page‘s topical relevance, as the title clearly matches the searcher‘s full query. It may also help Google more easily parse the semantic meaning and intent behind your title.

In our analysis, pages with closely grouped keywords tended to appear higher in search results compared to those with more scattered keyword placement.

For example, for the search phrase "how to grind coffee beans":

Good keyword grouping:

  • How to Grind Coffee Beans – Consumer Reports
  • How to Grind Coffee Beans (Electric and Manual)

More scattered:

  • 7 Simple Ways to Grind Coffee Beans Without a Grinder
  • Coffee Grinding Basics – How to Grind Coffee Beans

4. Use a 40-60 Character Title Length

Optimal page title length has long been debated in SEO. Go too short and you miss out on valuable keyword and message space. Go too long and your title gets truncated in search results.

Our analysis supports a page title length of 40-60 characters for maximum SEO impact. There were two key findings behind this:

  1. Titles under 60 characters were less likely to be cut off in search snippets, ensuring searchers see the full title and context.
  2. Titles over 40 characters captured more SERP real estate and were more likely to include target keywords.

While the pixel width of characters can vary (with Google supporting about 600px on desktop and 654px on mobile), sticking to a 40-60 character limit is a good rule of thumb.

This allows enough space to create a compelling, keyword-rich title while minimizing the risk of truncation. Of course, there are always exceptions depending on your keywords and vertical.

Some websites purposely use extra-long page titles, knowing they‘ll get cut off and may pique searcher curiosity. But in general, 40-60 characters is the SEO sweet spot.

5. Differentiate With a Unique Title

With so much content competing in the search results, having a unique page title is crucial to stand out and win clicks from your target audience.

In our analysis, pages with more unique titles relative to others in the SERP tended to earn higher rankings for their keywords. There are a few possible reasons for this:

  • Unique titles catch searchers‘ attention and generate more clicks, which may boost rankings
  • Distinct titles help differentiate your page and clarify its unique value to searchers
  • Uniqueness may indicate to Google that your page has distinct content vs. competitors

Avoid default titles or overly generic phrasing. Look at the titles ranking for your target keywords and consider how you can put a unique spin on them to stand out.

Use more descriptive and specific language. Highlight your page‘s unique angle, benefit, or value prop. Don‘t be afraid to get creative to grab attention.

For example, for the search "benefits of yoga", some unique top-ranking titles include:

  • 38 Health Benefits of Yoga for Your Body and Mind – SELF
  • 13 Benefits of Yoga That Are Supported by Science – Healthline
  • 5 Surprising Health Benefits of Yoga for Men – Yoga Journal

6. Use Power Words Sparingly

Power words are emotionally impactful terms that create a sense of urgency, excitement, or curiosity (amazing, new, proven, ultimate, etc.)

While power words can boost the emotional resonance and click appeal of your page titles, our analysis found that excessive use may actually harm rankings.

Pages with titles too heavy on power words and superlative claims tended to rank slightly lower than expected, likely due to coming across as less credible or relevant.

While power words can improve your organic click-through rates, there appears to be a trade-off in terms of rankings. So use power words strategically but sparingly for maximum impact.

Focus on legitimately describing your page‘s content and value. If a power word fits naturally and isn‘t too exaggerated for the topic, it can help your title pop. But don‘t overdo it.

For example, a measured use of power words in a title:

  • 7 Proven Ways to Lose Belly Fat (Backed by Science)

Versus a more exaggerated, less credible example:

  • 1 Amazing Trick to DESTROY Belly Fat Overnight!!

When in doubt, err on the side of restraint with power words and focus on clear, specific, descriptive language to convey your page‘s unique value.

Key Takeaways and Limitations

These 6 data-backed recommendations provide a framework for crafting SEO-friendly page titles that can help boost your rankings and organic traffic.

However, it‘s important to note the limitations of this analysis:

  • Correlation does not imply causation. While these title characteristics were common among high-ranking pages, other factors also impact rankings.
  • Every industry and keyword is unique. Not all of these recommendations will apply to every situation. But they reflect aggregate best practices across a large dataset.
  • Google rankings are constantly changing. This analysis reflects a snapshot in time. As algorithms evolve, title tag best practices may change as well.

The key is to use these recommendations as guidelines while also considering the unique context of your pages, industry, and audience.

Don‘t shoehorn every suggestion in at the expense of readability and click-appeal. The goal is to create compelling, descriptive page titles that work equally well for searchers and search engines.

Use this data to inspire your title tag optimizations. But always prioritize creating titles that accurately reflect your page content and entice searchers to click and visit your website.

Conclusion and Next Steps

Optimizing your page titles is an essential part of on-page SEO. The title tag is a key relevancy signal to Google and the most prominent element searchers consider when choosing which result to click.

With these 6 research-backed recommendations, you now have a data-informed framework for crafting SEO-friendly page titles:

  1. Include your target keywords
  2. Put keywords at the start of the title
  3. Group multiple keywords close together
  4. Use a 40-60 character title length
  5. Differentiate with a unique title
  6. Use power words sparingly

Consider auditing your existing page titles through the lens of these best practices. Look for opportunities to better optimize titles for your target keywords and entice more clicks with compelling, distinct phrasing.

Of course, a page title alone doesn‘t guarantee SEO success. It works in conjunction with the quality of your content and other on-page optimization.

But an optimized page title is the foundation – it‘s your first impression in the search results and your opportunity to convey topical relevance and earn clicks.

Use this research to your advantage to craft page titles that drive more traffic, rankings, and revenue for your business. Treat each title as a strategic asset in your SEO strategy.

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