The page title is the blue link that shows up in Google. If yours says something like “Home” or “Untitled,” you’re wasting it. Each page should say what it is and where you are, like “Wedding Cakes in Exeter | Your Business.”
What a page title actually is
Despite what most people think, the page title is not the headline text that shows up at the top of a website page. It is actually the underlying title hiding in the background of that page. The actual page title is often set automatically by your web build platform of choice, or it can be controlled by a plugin such as Yoast or Rank Math. This text is usually only visible in search engine results before you click on the page itself.
Why page titles matter
Page titles are the first piece of information your website gives to search engines such as Google, in order to help them understand what your page is trying to convey. Most small business websites don’t set them up entirely.
All too often I’ll go to look at a client’s website and find that their home page has been titled something generic like “Home.” This may not sound that bad, but it gives zero information to Google about what is actually on that page. Every website has a homepage. You need to make it clear why yours is different. Google then has to read the whole page to determine what the content is trying to convey. Not only will Google not understand what your page is about, neither will your potential customers. If they see a page titled “Home” or a page with a clear title explaining what is being sold, where it is being sold and to whom, they’re far more likely to click the latter.
Ultimately, getting your page titles right means that Google will show your website to more potential customers, and a greater number of those potential customers will choose to click on your link, as opposed to your competitors.
That’s why page titles matter, and they are really easy to get right.
How to write a page title properly
There are a few rules for a good page title. Firstly, keep it roughly 50 to 60 characters, including spaces; any longer and it will get cut off in Google. Secondly, lead with the most important word or phrase (think what people are actually searching for). Lastly, make sure each page title is genuinely different from the others on your website.
A really simple way to think about page titles for your homepage specifically is the following:
- What do you sell?
- Where do you sell it?
- What is your business name?
Then lay it out in as concise a way as possible. So if you run a painters and decorators in the South London area and your business is called Scott The Painter, it could look something like this: “Painter & Decorators South London | Scott The Painter”
That’s a bit better than “Home,” or God forbid “Untitled,” isn’t it? It’s also given three solid pieces of information that Google and your potential customers can scan quickly, and then arrive at your website with a much clearer idea of what they’re clicking on.
For the rest of your pages, the formula changes slightly. Instead of “What do you sell,” think more “What is this page about.” The rest of the formula remains the same.
Let’s use the painters and decorators example again. For the services page housing a grid of the different types of painting and decorating services they offer, it could read something like: “Painting & Decorating Services South London | Scott The Painter”
Or for one of the individual services, for example “Interior Painting,” it would read like this: “Interior Painting South London | Scott The Painter”
Getting this right is simple when you apply these formulas, and the difference it could make to your website is huge!
One thing worth knowing: Google doesn’t always use the exact title you write. Sometimes it will generate its own version to better match what someone has actually searched for. This happens more often than people expect, but that doesn’t make writing a good title pointless, quite the opposite. Google still reads your title to understand what the page is about, and a clear, carefully considered title makes it far more likely that Google’s version, if it does change it, stays close to what you intended. It is still one of the simplest, most worthwhile things you can do for your site.
How to edit your page titles depending on your website platform
This is the bit most page title tutorials miss: they tell you why page titles matter and how to write one, but then miss the slightly technical bit most small business owners don’t understand.
WordPress: Firstly, you’ll need a free plugin such as Yoast or Rank Math. Install and activate one of these, and then navigate to the page you want to edit. Click edit and scroll down to the SEO box. There you will find a dedicated “SEO title” field. Write your page title in there and publish/update the page. Repeat for all pages.
Wix: Open the page in the editor, go to Page Settings (the gear icon), then into SEO Basics, the title tag is right there. Write your page title in here and save.
Squarespace: Navigate to page settings, then click on the SEO tab and write your page title in the “SEO Title” field.
Shopify: For the homepage, go to Online Store and then Preferences, and the page title field is in there. For individual products or pages, open that product/page and look for “Edit website SEO” near the bottom.
Quick recap
- A page title is the blue link in Google search results, not the big heading on your page itself
- Every page should have its own clear, different title
- Keep it to roughly 50 to 60 characters so it doesn’t get cut off in Google
- Lead with the most important word or phrase, and for your homepage, cover what you sell, where, and your business name
- Google sometimes writes its own version of your title, but a clear one still helps it understand your page, so it’s still worth getting right
- On WordPress, Wix, Squarespace and Shopify, there’s always a dedicated SEO title field, separate from your normal page content
- Getting this right helps both Google and potential customers understand exactly what they’re about to click on
