Optimizing your HTML title is perhaps the most simple and basic aspect of search engine optimization, but can not be ignored. It’s step one of our 30 Days To Better SEO series for a reason – if you don’t take care of this step you might as well forget the whole thing.
Rule #1: Use your keyword in the HTML title. In my experience it doesn’t matter whether you use only your keyword or your keyword with a combination of other words.
Examples:
- <title>Your Keyword</title>
- <title>Your Keyword With Other Words</title>
- <title>Words With Your Keyword</title>
In my experience, as long as your keyword is in the title, this part of Google’s algorithm will be taken care of. If you decide to use the ‘Words With Your Keyword’ version, however, I would make sure not to use more than two or three words before your keyword. In other words, do not use ‘Lots And Lots Of Words And Phrases Before Your Keyword’.
How To Change The HTML Title Of Your Web Page
If you’re working with static HTML on your site, you simply need to edit the title section of code. Your code probably looks something like this:
<html>
<head>
<title>Your Title Here</title>
…and so on.
You will want to change the code to this:
<html>
<head>
<title>Your Keyword</title>
How To Make The Change If You’re On WordPress
If you’re optimizing the HTML title of your homepage, you will log in to your WordPress admin and then go to ‘Settings’. You will then change the ‘Blog Title’ to ‘Your Keyword’.
If you’re optimizing the HTML title of a post page, you will need to install the All-In-One SEO Pack plugin. This will give you a special box where you can edit the title on the ‘edit post’ page.
How To Make The Change If You’re On Blogger
If you’re optimizing the HTML title of your homepage on Blogger, you will log in to your admin and will then go to ‘Settings’. You will use the ‘Title’ field to set the HTML title to ‘Your Keyword’.
If you’re optimizing a post page on Blogger, you will need to use ‘Your Keyword’ in the title of the post, because the post title is what creates the HTML title for a Blogger post.
Questions?
I really want to make sure that every single person can implement each step of the process. If you’re confused or if you use a platform that’s confusing, please let me know. If you would like us to check your work, let us know in the comments!
In wordpress I use All in One SEO, and I set it from the admin area correctly for my site’s main keyword, but if I am targeting other versions of the keyword or different keywords in specific posts, do I need to do something with the All in One SEO tool for THAT SPECIFIC post? Because I noticed when writing a post the All in One tool is below the post, and that you can input something there.
I thought it would just use my post title as the HTMl title, so as long as my keyword was in the post title, I was good to go.
So lastly, I will know if it is ok by looking up in the blue bar, top left, correct?
Hey Nate! Your assumptions are correct. As long as you use the keyword in the post title, you’ll be taken care of. If, for some reason, you need to use a different post title you can change the keyword with All In One SEO Pack for that post.
Yes, you can always check to make sure by looking at the top of the browser window when you’re on the page you want to check.
Great advice Court, people under estimate the value of the title tag far too often. Combined with the H1 tag, it’s a powerful SEO tool.
Definitely Christopher! This is SEO 101 – very basic but people have to take care of this stuff if they want to have a fighting chance.
Good stuff Court. I have been using this technique quite a bit lately and it works. I’m glad I found this site because I have learned alot about basic SEO stuff that wasn’t explained as well as how you and Mark do it.
I liked the site so much, I became a member and I have thoroughly enjoyed the training so far.
BTW, are you going after the term ’search engine optimization’ with this series, or is that a secret?
Thanks Tommie that means a lot!! We’ll be going after search engine optimization but honestly…it’s going to take a few years.
I like day one. Easy to implement – good advice (reminds me of the “tastes great – less filling” commercials a few years back). As usual, nice post.
Something to be aware of it theme specific SEO settings. I used the INOVE theme for a while before I realized the theme overrides the “all in one” settings for meta description and keywords. Once I added the info to the theme options I was good to go again, but had I not been doing some analysis on my site I would have never known.
So, just a reminder to be aware of your theme options.
That’s great advice E – everyone make sure to read E’s comment. Sometimes themes can play tricks on your SEO.
The All In One plugin is very good and does many things automatically. I would recommend it also.
Thanks for the backup!
Great tips. I plan on following this series from day 1 to the 30th day. I believe it will have great impact on my new blog. I’ve been seeing the comments by others. I want to have a success story to tell too.
Sounds good! Let me know if I can help you out.
Hi Court,
Great stuff as usual. Something I had wanted to ask for sometime. When titling our blog/post is it good or advisable to write it this way
Keywords | Keywords | Keywords
or just simply
Words With Our Keywords
Will the first method be seen as keyword stuffing?
The first method could be seen as keyword stuffing and will probably not have any value! I would stick with: Words With Our Keywords.
I use HeadSpace2 instead of All-In-One SEO. It offers the same options plus a whole lot more. The whole lot more isn’t important until further down the line though, and it has options to import the data from All-In-One SEO.
HeadSpace2 is a little more complicated, but I think it’s worth it in the long run.
I did some mistakes here. I always write posts with targeted keywords and then I forget to insert the title in blogger. Then I simply click publish. Then I would notice that i forgot to add the important one – The title. Then I edit the post and add the title. But in the meantime, my post url would have set up without my keyword in it.
But Now a days, I am taking more care.
Court, just recently discovered your web site. what a breath of fresh air. i’ve been “studying” IM for about a year now, have spent thousands foolishly, and am trying to get started. what advise would you give to a 61 yr old retired teacher, with virtually no IM background or experience?
Great Explanation. No need to read it second time. VERY clear and simple.
Thanks Buddy