Title Tags: The Highest-Leverage On-Page Element
The fastest ranking improvement available on most sites, and it costs almost nothing.
Content & On-Page
Why they move rankings quickly
Title tags are a strong relevance signal and the primary driver of click-through rate from results. Improving CTR on a page already ranking positions five to fifteen frequently moves it up within days of recrawl.
Writing them well
Primary keyword near the front. Under 60 characters so it displays fully. Something that differentiates you from the nine other results. Match the search intent visible in the SERP.
Why Google rewrites them
Google rewrites titles when they are keyword-stuffed, too long, missing, or a poor match for the query. If yours are being rewritten, that is diagnostic information: your title did not match what the searcher wanted.
Key takeaways
- Title changes can move page-two rankings within days
- Keyword near the front, under 60 characters
- Differentiate from the other nine results
- Google rewriting your title means it did not match intent
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