Search
Write a page title search engines can use
Your page either has no title, or its title is too short to say anything or long enough to get cut off in search results.
Why it matters
The title is the blue clickable line in Google. It is the single biggest thing you control about whether someone picks your link over the one below it. Missing it means Google invents one from whatever text it finds first, which is often your navigation menu.
How you would notice it
- The browser tab shows a URL or a file name instead of a name.
- Shared links show a blank or odd heading.
- Search results show a truncated title ending in an ellipsis.
What to do
Stage 1
- Open the file that holds the head of your pages. In most site builders this is a single template or layout file; in hand-built sites it is usually index.html.
- Add or replace the title tag inside the head section, keeping it between 50 and 65 characters.
Put the specific thing first and the business name last. People scan the left of the line.
<head>
<title>Emergency Plumbing in Fresno | Clearwater Plumbing</title>
</head>Stage 2
- Give every page its own title. Do not reuse one title across the whole site: Google treats duplicates as one page.
- Count the characters. Most editors show a character count; if not, paste the text into any word counter.
Over about 65 characters Google truncates with an ellipsis, so the end of your message disappears.
How to check it worked
Confirm it worked
Open your site in a browser and look at the tab at the top of the window. It should read your new title, not the address of the page. Then re-run the Siege Test and confirm the Title tag check turns green.