How long should a title tag be?

Aim for 50–60 characters. Google typically displays up to around 600 pixels of title width, which corresponds to roughly 50–60 characters depending on the specific characters used. Titles over 60 characters are often truncated with an ellipsis in search results. Shorter isn't necessarily better — a 40-character title that clearly describes the page is fine, but don't pad to reach 60 either.

Should I include my brand name in the title tag?

Yes, but usually at the end, separated by a dash or pipe: 'Web Design Mistakes That Cost You Rankings — Bisyri'. Your primary keyword and the page's topic should come first. The exception is your homepage, where your brand name often leads: 'Bisyri — Web Design and SEO for Small Businesses'. Brand at the end makes sense for most internal pages; brand at the front makes sense for the homepage and brand-focused pages.

Why does Google rewrite my title tags?

Google rewrites title tags when it determines they don't accurately describe the page content, are too long, contain keyword stuffing, or are too generic ('Home', 'Untitled'). To minimise rewrites: write titles that accurately and specifically describe the page, keep them under 60 characters, include the primary keyword naturally, and avoid duplication across pages. Google rewrites roughly 20% of title tags, according to studies — usually on pages where the title is a poor match for the content.

Does the title tag affect rankings?

Yes. The title tag is one of the strongest on-page ranking signals Google uses. Including your target keyword in the title tag, ideally near the beginning, is a clear best practice. However, Google's understanding of page content goes well beyond the title tag — keyword stuffing titles (repeating the keyword multiple times) is counterproductive and may trigger a rewrite. A well-written, natural title tag that includes the primary keyword once is the correct approach.

How to Write Title Tags That Get Clicked

The title tag is the headline of your search result. It's what convinces someone scanning Google to click on your page instead of the one above or below it. Getting it right matters for rankings and for the traffic those rankings generate.

What a title tag is

The title tag is an HTML element in the <head> of a page:

<title>How to Write Title Tags That Get Clicked (2026 Guide) — Bisyri</title>

It serves three purposes simultaneously:

Search result headline: the blue clickable text shown in Google search results (though Google may rewrite it)
Browser tab label: the text shown in the browser tab when the page is open
SEO signal: one of Google's strongest on-page signals for understanding what a page is about

It's distinct from the H1 — the on-page visible heading. They should be closely aligned but don't have to be identical. The title tag is the search result headline; the H1 is the article or page heading that visitors see after they click through.

The right length

Google displays titles based on pixel width, not character count — but as a practical guide, aim for 50–60 characters. Titles longer than this are typically truncated with an ellipsis (…) in search results, which cuts off the end of the title and can obscure important information.

This is a constraint, not a target. If your title naturally falls at 45 characters and fully describes the page, don't pad it. If the most accurate title is 63 characters, it's usually fine to trim to 58 — but don't shorten it so much that it becomes vague or misleading.

Use the free meta title generator to check the character count and pixel width of any title before publishing.

One common mistake: packing so much into the title to hit 60 characters that it becomes unreadable. "Web Design SEO Mistakes 2026 Small Business Guide UK" is 60 characters but reads poorly. "7 Web Design Mistakes That Tank Your SEO Rankings" is 51 characters and reads like a headline a human would want to click.

Keyword placement

Include your primary target keyword in the title tag — ideally towards the beginning. Google weights words earlier in the title slightly more, and from a user perspective, matching the search term early confirms to the searcher that the result is relevant before they've read the rest of the title.

This doesn't mean the keyword has to be the very first word. It means: don't bury it. "Guide to Writing Title Tags for SEO in 2026" is fine. "The Complete Comprehensive Beginner's Guide to Everything You Need to Know About Writing SEO Title Tags" is not — the keyword is late and the title is stuffed.

Use the keyword once, naturally. Repeating it ("Title Tags: Title Tag SEO Guide to Writing Title Tags") triggers a rewrite from Google and reads as spam to human searchers.

Writing for clicks, not just rankings

Ranking is a means to an end. A title that ranks position 3 but has a 15% CTR beats a title that ranks position 2 with a 6% CTR. CTR is influenced by how compelling the title looks to the searcher — not just whether it contains the right keyword.

Techniques that improve CTR without being clickbait:

Be specific. "How to Speed Up Your Website" is weaker than "7 Changes That Cut Page Load Time in Half". Specific numbers, specific outcomes, specific methods all signal credibility and make the result look more useful.
Match search intent exactly. Someone searching "how to write a title tag" wants instructions. "What Is a Title Tag" is a worse match than "How to Write a Title Tag" even if both pages cover the same information. The phrasing matters.
Use the year where appropriate. "SEO Guide (2026)" or "2026 Guide" signals freshness. For time-sensitive topics (algorithm changes, best practices, tool features), the year tells the searcher the content is current. Don't add a year to evergreen content where it adds nothing.
Front-load the value. What's in it for the reader? "How to Fix Slow Page Speed — PageSpeed Insights Guide" puts the benefit first and the method second. A searcher sees the payoff before they read the how.
Use parentheses or brackets for context. "(Step-by-Step)", "[Free Template]", "(Without Paid Tools)" — these add useful information in a visually distinct way that stands out in the search result.

The test: read your title out loud and ask whether a real person — not a search engine — would find it compelling. If it sounds robotic or stuffed, rewrite it.

Where to put your brand name

For most pages: brand name at the end, separated by a dash or pipe character.

How to Write Title Tags That Get Clicked — Bisyri
Web Design Packages for Small Businesses | Bisyri

The brand name takes up characters and often adds little value for a user who doesn't know you yet. Putting it at the end maximises the space at the start of the title for the keyword and the actual page description.

The exception: your homepage and any explicitly brand-focused pages. If someone searches your business name, they should see your brand prominently.

Bisyri — Web Design, SEO & AEO for Small Businesses

Some businesses omit the brand name entirely from individual blog posts and landing pages to save characters. This is a legitimate choice, especially for long-tailed topics where the brand recognition isn't the primary goal.

Title tag templates by page type

Homepage

Bisyri — Web Design, SEO and AEO for Small Businesses
[Brand] — [Primary offering] for [target audience]

Service pages

Web Design Services in Reykjavik — Bisyri
[Service] in [Location] — [Brand]
[Service] for [Client type] | [Brand]

Blog posts / guides

How to Write Title Tags That Get Clicked (2026) — Bisyri
[Number] [Keyword] Mistakes That Cost You Rankings
What Is [Concept] and How to Fix It — [Brand]
[Keyword] Guide: Everything You Need to Know in [Year]

Category / index pages

SEO Blog — Practical Guides for Small Businesses | Bisyri
Free SEO Tools — No Sign-Up Required | Bisyri

Pricing / cost pages

Web Design Cost in 2026: What to Expect — Bisyri
How Much Does [Service] Cost? (2026 Guide)

Why Google rewrites your titles — and how to stop it

Google rewrites approximately 20% of title tags with a title it considers more accurate or useful. This happens when:

The title doesn't accurately reflect the page content
The title is too long and gets cut off
The title is keyword-stuffed or spammy
The title is too generic or vague ("Home", "Page 1", "Untitled Document")
The title matches the H1 perfectly but Google finds a better match from anchor text of inbound links

To minimise rewrites:

Write titles that accurately describe what's actually on the page
Keep them under 60 characters
Use the primary keyword once, naturally
Make every title unique — duplicates get rewritten
Align the title with the H1 (they don't need to match exactly, but they should describe the same page)

If Google keeps rewriting a specific page's title and you don't like what it's choosing: check that the page's content matches your title, and review whether Google might be pulling its rewrite from an H1 or anchor text that's more prominent. Update accordingly — a rewrite isn't necessarily wrong, but it's usually telling you something about a mismatch.

Auditing your existing title tags

Check your current title tags in Screaming Frog (free up to 500 URLs) or Search Console. Look for:

Missing titles: any page with no title tag. Fix immediately — these are the most damaging.
Duplicate titles: two pages with identical titles. Each page needs a unique title. Filter in Screaming Frog → Page Titles → Duplicates.
Titles over 60 characters: likely being truncated. Trim without removing key information.
Titles under 30 characters: probably too vague. Can usually be made more specific and compelling.
Generic titles: "Services", "Blog", "Contact Us" — too short and too vague. Add the primary keyword and brand name.

In Search Console, check for pages with good impressions but poor CTR (search Performance → Pages, sort by impressions, add CTR column). These are pages where your title is failing to convert visibility into clicks — often the highest-leverage pages to rewrite. Compare your position to the expected CTR for that position; anything significantly below average for your position is a candidate for a title rewrite.

See the full on-page SEO guide for all the other elements that work alongside title tags, and the meta descriptions guide for optimising the other half of your search result snippet.