Title Tags 101: Your 60-Character First Impression

Reading time: 5 minutes

Your title tag is the blue clickable headline in Google search results. It’s the first thing people see, and Google’s #2 ranking factor (after content). Here’s how to write ones that get clicks.

TLDR

Title tags are the blue clickable headlines in search results and Google’s second-most important ranking factor. Keep them 50-60 characters or they get truncated. Use the format “Primary Keyword | Brand Name” for best results. Common mistakes: too long, keyword stuffing, and missing your brand name. Put keywords first since mobile shows fewer characters. Make each title unique and page-specific to avoid duplicates.

What Google Sees vs What You See

In your HTML:

<title>Best Dallas Moving Company | Veterans Moving America</title>

In search results:

Best Dallas Moving Company | Veterans Moving America
https://veteransmovingamerica.com
We're a 100% veteran-staffed moving company serving Dallas/Fort Worth...

The Rules

Length: 50-60 characters (longer gets cut off with ”…”)

Format:

Primary Keyword | Brand Name

Example:

AI Visibility Testing | Surmado  (37 characters ✓)

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Too Long

Bad: “Welcome to the Official Website of Dallas’s #1 Premier Moving Company - Veterans Moving America”

• 98 characters
• Gets truncated: “Welcome to the Official Website of Dallas’s #1 Premier Movi…”
• Waste of space

Good: “Dallas Moving Company | Veterans Moving America”

• 48 characters
• Shows complete message
• Includes brand + keyword

Mistake 2: Keyword Stuffing

Bad: “Moving Company Dallas Fort Worth Arlington Plano Irving Moving Services Movers”

• Looks spammy
• Google may ignore or penalize
• Nobody clicks this

Good: “DFW Moving Services | Veterans Moving America”

• Natural language
• One primary keyword (DFW Moving)
• Includes brand

Mistake 3: Missing Brand

Bad: “Affordable SEO Audit Tools for Small Businesses”

• Generic
• No brand recognition
• Low click-through when competitors show brands

Good: “SEO Audit Tools | Surmado”

• Brand at end (still visible)
• Primary keyword up front
• Professional

The Formula

[Primary Keyword] | [Brand]

or

[Primary Keyword] - [Secondary Detail] | [Brand]

Examples:

AI Visibility Report | Surmado

SEO Audit Tool - $50 One-Time | Surmado

Dallas Moving Company - Veteran Staffed | Veterans Moving

Homepage vs Inner Pages

Homepage title: Focus on your main business offering

AI Visibility & SEO Tools | Surmado

Product/Service page title: Focus on that specific offering

Signal: AI Visibility Testing | Surmado

Blog post title: Focus on the topic

How to Get Found by ChatGPT | Surmado Blog

Power Words That Increase Clicks

Add these (if true) to boost click-through rate:

• Free - “Free SEO Audit | Surmado”
• 2024/2025 - “SEO Checklist 2025 | Surmado”
• Ultimate/Complete - “Complete SEO Guide | Surmado”
• Fast - “15-Minute SEO Audit | Surmado”
• Easy - “Easy Schema Generator | Surmado”

Warning: Only use power words if accurate. “Free” when you charge = angry users.

Testing Your Title Tags

Check current titles:

# View source or inspect element
Right-click page → View Page Source → Search for <title>

Check what Google sees:

site:yoursite.com

Search this in Google to see how your titles display.

Check competitors:

Google your target keyword. What titles get you to click? Use that format.

Dynamic Titles (Advanced)

For e-commerce or large sites, generate titles programmatically:

// Product page
`${productName} - ${category} | ${brandName}`

// Result: "iPhone 15 Pro - Smartphones | Apple"

Quick Fixes

If your Scan report shows “duplicate titles”:

1. Find all pages with same title (usually homepage variations)
2. Update each to describe that specific page
3. Use format: [Page Topic] | [Brand]

If titles are too long:

1. Remove filler words (“Welcome to”, “Official Site of”)
2. Shorten brand name if needed (“Veterans Moving America” → “Veterans Moving”)
3. Prioritize keeping the keyword, not the brand

Mobile Display

Mobile search results show even fewer characters (about 50). Always put important keywords first:

Good: “SEO Audit Tool | Surmado”

• Mobile shows: “SEO Audit Tool | Surma…”
• Keyword visible

Bad: “Surmado - The Premier AI-Powered SEO Audit Tool”

• Mobile shows: “Surmado - The Premier AI…”
• Keyword cut off

Next Steps

1. Audit your titles: Check every page has unique, descriptive title
2. Fix duplicates: Search Console → Enhancements → Duplicate titles
3. A/B test: Try different formats, watch click-through rate in Search Console
4. Update regularly: Refresh titles on old content to include current year

→ Related: Meta Descriptions | H1 Tags and Heading Structure