Title Length

Carlton Johnson · 08-28-2009, 06:16 AM

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone had done any tests on title length and whether it makes a difference to google rankings.

For example, if I had a keyword "How to get rid of unwanted hair"

And I had a webpage or even an ezine article and I made the title "How to get rid of unwanted hair" would it rank quicker and/or higher for that exact keyword than if I made the title "How to get rid of unwanted hair - 5 Essential Secrets to Curing This Problem for Good"

The reason this came to mind is because I seem to remember hearing or watching a video once that said the less words in your title, the more weight each word has.

So if you have 10 words the weight of each word is divided 10 times but if you only have 3 then it is only divided 3 times making each word more powerful. I might have actually watched this on a Stompernet video - not sure though.

Obvsiouly you need to have a title that is going to entice someone to Click it but let's put that to one side for a moment.

All other things being exactly equal (or as equal as is possible) will "How to get rid of unwanted hair" rank better than "How to get rid of unwanted hair - 5 Essential Secrets to Curing This Problem for Good".

I will be running some tests on this myself, but just thought I would throw it out there to get other peoples thoughts.

Cheers

Carlton

affiliated survivor · 08-28-2009, 06:34 AM

"And I had a webpage or even an ezine article and I made the title "How to get rid of unwanted hair" would it rank quicker and/or higher for that exact keyword than if I made the title "How to get rid of unwanted hair - 5 Essential Secrets to Curing This Problem for Good"

It could be. The more words in the title, the lesser value each word has.

dburk · 08-28-2009, 06:36 AM

Hi Carlton,

I think keyword prominence and proximity are both important factors, but in affiliated survivor's precise example I don't see any problem with these factors and I believe that this alternative title will rank just as well.

Marcel Hartmann · 08-28-2009, 07:40 AM

Consider the top 10 results of the term you'd like to rank for. If they all have very long titles that get truncated, consider the smallest title possible that still conveys what your page is about. People searching will be drawn to your result because it's different.

I do agree that keyword stuffing the title is a bad idea.

08-28-2009, 06:16 AM	#1
Carlton Johnson Nothing to See Here... War Room Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: UK Posts: 60 Thanks: 9 Thanked 7 Times in 4 Posts	Title Length - Does it Make a Difference for SEO Hi all, I was wondering if anyone had done any tests on title length and whether it makes a difference to google rankings. For example, if I had a keyword "How to get rid of unwanted hair" And I had a webpage or even an ezine article and I made the title "How to get rid of unwanted hair" would it rank quicker and/or higher for that exact keyword than if I made the title "How to get rid of unwanted hair - 5 Essential Secrets to Curing This Problem for Good" The reason this came to mind is because I seem to remember hearing or watching a video once that said the less words in your title, the more weight each word has. So if you have 10 words the weight of each word is divided 10 times but if you only have 3 then it is only divided 3 times making each word more powerful. I might have actually watched this on a Stompernet video - not sure though. Obvsiouly you need to have a title that is going to entice someone to Click it but let's put that to one side for a moment. All other things being exactly equal (or as equal as is possible) will "How to get rid of unwanted hair" rank better than "How to get rid of unwanted hair - 5 Essential Secrets to Curing This Problem for Good". I will be running some tests on this myself, but just thought I would throw it out there to get other peoples thoughts. Cheers Carlton

08-28-2009, 06:34 AM	#2
affiliated survivor HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: , , . Posts: 218 Thanks: 0 Thanked 9 Times in 9 Posts	Re: Title Length - Does it Make a Difference for SEO "And I had a webpage or even an ezine article and I made the title "How to get rid of unwanted hair" would it rank quicker and/or higher for that exact keyword than if I made the title "How to get rid of unwanted hair - 5 Essential Secrets to Curing This Problem for Good" It could be. The more words in the title, the lesser value each word has.

08-28-2009, 06:36 AM	#3
dburk Senior Warrior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Tampa, Florida Posts: 2,237 Thanks: 20 Thanked 184 Times in 167 Posts	Re: Title Length - Does it Make a Difference for SEO Hi Carlton, I think keyword prominence and proximity are both important factors, but in affiliated survivor's precise example I don't see any problem with these factors and I believe that this alternative title will rank just as well.
	Don Burk * Get Results - Outsource Your PPC Management * Get a Keyword Domain Name - www.SeriousNames.com

08-28-2009, 07:40 AM	#4
Marcel Hartmann HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 159 Thanks: 16 Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts	Re: Title Length - Does it Make a Difference for SEO Consider the top 10 results of the term you'd like to rank for. If they all have very long titles that get truncated, consider the smallest title possible that still conveys what your page is about. People searching will be drawn to your result because it's different. I do agree that keyword stuffing the title is a bad idea.