Even if you aren’t familiar with the term “title tags”, you’ve probably seen them plenty of times online. Title tags are the headings that appear on a Search engine results page (SERP) as the clickable headline for a given result. They also show up when someone posts a link on social media.
Here are a few guidelines for writing title tags that can help boost your hotel’s website traffic.
What are title tags?
Title tags tell search engines and online travel shoppers what any given page on your site is about in the most concise way possible. You’ll see these titles on search engine results pages as a clickable headline.
Title tags should also include the keywords that you’re trying to rank for naturally. Avoid titles that are just a list of keywords or repeat variations of the same keyword over and over. These titles are bad for search users and could get you into trouble with search engines.
Why are title tags important?
Small and mighty, title tags are important for usability, SEO, and social sharing. They help search engines understand what your page is about, and they are the first impression many travel shoppers will have of your page. Title tags are used in three key places:
- Search engine results pages. A good title tag can make the difference between a travel shopping clicking to visit your website, or not.
- Web browsers. Your title tag is displayed at the top of your web browser and acts as a placeholder (especially handy for people who have many browser tabs open).
- Social networks. Some external websites—especially social networks—will use your title tag to determine what to display when you share that page.
Title Tag Best Practices
Keep your title 60 characters or less.
Google usually displays the first 60 characters of a title tag. There's no exact character limit, because characters can vary in width and Google's display titles max out (currently) at 600 pixels. For example, a ‘w’ takes up more space than an “i”. A good guideline is to keep your title tag between 50-60 characters long.
Avoid using ALL-CAPS.
Use sentence case for your title tags. Capital letters may be hard for travel shoppers to read, and can limit the number of characters Google will display.
Use Unique Titles for Each Page.
Give every page on your website a unique title. Specific titles for your pages help search engines understand that your content is unique and valuable, and also drive higher click-through rates.
Include your brand name when it’s relevant.
If your hotel is part of a well-known brand, adding it to your titles may help boost click-through rates. We generally still recommend putting your brand at the end of the title, but there are cases (such as your home-page or about page) where you may want to be more brand-focused.
What’s an example of a strong title tag?
The Lancaster DoubleTree Resort by Hilton does an awesome job of customizing the title tags for each of their hotel’s web pages.
Thanks to the descriptive keywords in the title tags, both travel shoppers and search engines can easily identify what the page is about. With easily identifiable pages like this, Google is more likely to display your website in the search engine results page, plus, travel shoppers are more likely to click on your page since they know it’s exactly what they’re looking for.
And that’s what you need to know about title tags for your hotel website. These small titles can make a big difference for your site. They give travel shoppers context, can trigger brand recognition, and help encourage more visits to your website, leading to more direct bookings!
Ready to learn more about leveraging SEO to increase direct bookings at your hotel? Check out these other posts in the community:
- Understanding SEO: Meta Descriptions
- What Are Long Tail Keywords & How Can They Improve SEO?
- SEO Mistruths and the Real Goal of Search Engine Optimization
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