Create title and meta description correctly
The title is the clickable headline in the search result, the description of the text below it, and together they are often the only impression that someone gets from your page before making a decision.
The title
- Around 60 characters – More precisely: about 600 pixels. Google cuts by width, not by number of characters – “Illustration” and “MMMMMMMMMMMM” take up very different amounts of space.
- The Important Forward – What gets cut off is lost. The place name at the end of a long title does not benefit anyone.
- Different on each page – Duplicate titles are the most common finding, each page needs its own.
- No batch of keywords – “Bicycle repair workshop Bicycle shop Erkrath” nobody reads. A sentence that makes a promise seems better.
The description
It does not affect rankings, but it does affect how many people click. Google displays around 160 characters, and fewer on phones. Explain what the page offers the reader and include a call to action.
A usable pattern
| page | Title |
|---|---|
| Homepage | Bicycle Müller Erkrath – workshop and rental since 1998 |
| Performance | Bicycle repair in Erkrath – usually done on the same day |
| About us | About Bicycle Müller – two masters, one apprentice, 25 years old |
Suitable tools
Further in SEO
- 15 SEO Mistakes Nearly Every Website Makes – The points that turn red most often in the test report – and what lies behind each of them.
- What is a Sitemap? – A list of your addresses for search engines – what it is good for and what belongs in it.
- SEO for Local Businesses – If your customers come from the area, different things count than with an online shop.