The consequences of a bad page title are severe. Get it wrong, and readers won’t look at the rest of the page. Or, worse, might never find the page in the first place.
Yet many web content writers neglect this important area.
If you want to write clear, helpful, user-centric page titles, here are five simple rules to follow.
1. Be concise
Most people won’t read all of a long headline.
Google displays around 55 characters in its search results.
2. Frontload
Users typically notice the first 11 characters when scanning through a list of links.
The first 11 characters (or first two words) should tell the reader what the story is about.
3. Make sense out of context
A website isn’t a book. Different readers will arrive at the page from different sources.
Often, they come straight from Google.
‘How to apply’ is a bad page title because it doesn’t give the context. How to apply for what? The page title should tell me.
4. Identify the audience
The title should help the reader decide whether or not to carry on reading.
Where possible, the title should tell the reader whether it’s for them or not.
So, ‘Free swimming for over-60s’ is better than ‘Free swimming’.
5. Focus on the reader’s needs
The page title should reflect the reader’s needs, not your organisation’s.
Consider ‘Tablet-lending scheme’ versus ‘Tablet-borrowing scheme’. The subtle difference betrays the contrast between meeting readers’ needs and meeting the organisation’s own needs.
And be wary of using your organisation’s ‘brand names’. People often respond better to descriptive titles that tell you what the service offers them. ‘Snow Friends’ is a bad page title. ‘Volunteer to clear ice and snow in your area’ is better.
Web page titles should help the reader decide whether or not to keep on reading. Follow these steps to make that happen.