How to Write Page Titles for Google: Free SEO Workshop #2 - Contractors & Construction Advertising

We talked last week about writing page titles for websites. We kept it very simple and allowed you maximal flexibility to think about the type of information that Google requires to understand what you mean: the type of business, its location and some services offered. You may have noticed that there was a little bit of redundancy or duplication in the page titles. It is often a good thing because it helps to emphasize the importance of keywords to the particular website or project. The way that search engines interpret or understand page titles is constantly changing. Search engine optimization (or SEO), therefore, becomes the study of trying to find out what Google, Yahoo and (sometimes MSN) need to help businesses rank well in search results.

Having a good page title is your most important asset in SEO. In this workshop, we will examine the way that Google deals with page titles and what it means for you business. Let us start by telling you the terrible truth, everyone uses Google so usually its a good place to start. Here is a simple page title for a business. If it does not seem like your business, substitute the name contractors for "electricians,' for example:

We will use a business that actually exists so y0u can see the problem with the page title. Here is the current page title used by Bartlett Cock which ranks about position 21 in Google, presently :

Bartlett Cocke General Contractors : Building Value for San Antonio, Austin & Houston Areas

Here is a simple revision to the page title that will prove more effective in search results: Houston General Contractors | Building Contractors in Houston, San Antonio & Austin Texas.
So, what are some requirements for good page titles in Google:

Maximal characters indexed
1129

Actual Characters displayed
65

Title Tag Importance
Very High

How do you know that what I am saying is true. Lets do a search for "houston general contractors." The top 5 pages titles are as follows:

• Houston General Contractors: Locate Contractors in Houston
• General Contractors in Houston, TX
• Houston General Contractor - Houston
• Houston General Contractors - Reviews
  
• Superior Building Systems - General Contractors Houston

The main problem with the page title used by Bartlett Cock was basing it on the name of the business. This strategy only works if your company is so well established and branded that you don't need any more customers because they no longer search for Houston general contractors, they simply say "Bartlett Cock," which is highly unlikely. Page titles must be based on the needs of the customer first.

Pacific West Global Media is an online consulting firm and advertising agency for contractors and construction businesses located in Vancouver, Canada. The company provides services that include seo, lead generation, pay per click advertising and recruitment. To get help with your website, contact us directly 1-866-535-3771.