How to Write an SEO Title for Your Small Business Website
- Rhiannon
- Mar 15, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: May 9
SEO titles (often known as meta titles or title tags), are one of the building blocks of SEO. However, many small business owners don't know what SEO titles are, why SEO titles are necessary or how to write SEO titles. In this guide for small business owners, I will show you how to write an SEO title for your small business website, and provide some SEO title best practices.
In this guide to SEO titles:
What is an SEO Title?
An SEO title helps search engines (and users) understand what your website page is about. Usually around 50-60 characters in length, the SEO title appears in blue or purple in the search engine results (see the example below).
If you do not specify an SEO title for your website page, search engines will generate one automatically. However, an automatically generated SEO title won't necessarily target your focus keyword, so I always recommend writing an optimised SEO title for every page on your website.
How to Write an SEO Title for Your Small Business Website
Before you start writing your SEO titles, make sure you have carried out keyword research. See my article on How to Find Keywords for SEO for a more detailed guide on keyword research. Once you have your keywords and allocated them to your website pages, you can start writing your SEO titles.
Writing SEO titles does not have to be difficult, but it can be fiddly. There are three main criteria for SEO titles, which can make writing them tricky:
Character limits: SEO titles should be around 50-60 characters in length
Focus keyword: Your SEO title should contain the focus keyword for that page — ideally at the start of the SEO title
Unique: Each SEO title should be unique, and it should be different from your h1
These criteria are guidelines. It is not always possible to write the "perfect" SEO title, and the most important thing is that you write an SEO title that tells search engines and your audience what the page is about.
Remember: If you don’t write your own SEO title, search engines will generate one automatically based on the website page content. However, these SEO titles may not be completely accurate and are unlikely to perform as well as purpose-written SEO titles.
Tip: I have a spreadsheet, which I use to keep track of my SEO plan. Each row is a page on my website, and the columns list the focus keyword(s) for each page, along with the SEO titles, SEO descriptions and h1 tags. This is really useful for keeping track of your SEO strategy, especially if you have a larger website!
SEO Title Best Practices
Your SEO titles should aim to fit as many of the following criteria as possible. This gives your website page the best chance of ranking in the search engine results. Here are 10 SEO title best practices you should aim to adhere to:
Your SEO titles should be 50-60 characters long to avoid being truncated (cut off) by search engines
Include the focus keyword for that page in your SEO title
Each SEO title should be unique
Each SEO title should be (slightly) different from the h1 for that page
Each SEO title must be relevant to the website page — does it accurately describe the purpose or subject of the page?
Ideally, the SEO title should include your business name (can be paraphrased or shortened if necessary). This helps people to identify your website and remember your business, which can increase the chance of them clicking on your website
Your SEO titles aren't just for search engines — they also help search engine users decide which search result they will click on. Make your SEO titles compelling, so that people are more likely to click on your website.
Avoid keyword stuffing — aim to include any keywords naturally, rather than listing them one after the other
Match search intent — consider what your audience is looking for, and reflect that in your SEO title
Use numbers or brackets where appropriate — for example, "5 Ways To..." or "Beginners Guide to... (free template)" to indicate structure and value.
Get Help With Your SEO Titles | SEO Help for Small Business
Optimised SEO titles are crucial to getting your website (and your business) found in search engines, but they are only a small part of a successful SEO strategy.
As an SEO consultant for small business, I specialise in helping small businesses and independent brands get found in Google Search and drive more organic traffic to their websites. As part of my marketing services for small businesses, I can help you write and optimise your SEO titles so that they target the right keywords and help you drive more organic (free) traffic to your small business website.
To take the first step towards making your small business more visible in Google Search, book your complimentary discovery call and explore how I can help you with my marketing services for small businesses.
