Title Tags and Internet Marketing Success for Small Businesses

No one looks at the title tags, so they don't really matter, right?

Wrong.

It turns out that someone pretty important to your internet marketing success does look at those title tags: That someone is the search engine that's crawling around, deciding who should get top placement for your keywords.

Title tags are, of course, only one of the factors. But they're such an important factor that it shocks me when I see that many of the folks being paid top dollar to produce "Search engine optimized" web sites for customers aren't using them properly.

But then, the world is full of self-appointed experts who don't really know what they're doing. One of my new clients told me she had just paid someone to optimize her site and that he assured her that it took 3 or 4 months to see results.

What nonsense! I've seen sites get results in 3 or 4 days! (My own, when I started using common sense methods.)

If you write and maintain your own site, you know what your title tags say - or if you've even written any. If you've paid someone to produce your site, go look at it as soon as you finish reading this article.

Every page should have a title that includes your keywords and gives a clue about what your visitor will find on that page. Yep - every page needs its own title.

If you'll look around, you'll find a lot of sites that have only the name of the business in the title - and it doesn't change from page to page. They aren't giving the search engines any help at all! Remember, when you help the search engines, they help you right back!

Your title can be about 65 spaces long - so you do have room for a few well-chosen words. Yes, they should make sense, but don't have to be written in a complete sentence.

Think of it as a headline. Because it is. When your potential customers view search results, they'll see that title in the results. It needs to reach out and grab them, and cause them to choose your listing to click.

What is the first thing you want a potential customer to know about you? What one or two things will stop them and cause them to think "My search is over, this is the one I need?" Think about how your title can separate your listing from all the annoying, highly optimized directory sites that only offer to let you search some more. How can you show those searchers that their search is over because they've found you?

Your title tag carries enough importance that it is worth your time to really consider what it will say. Should your name be included? Only if your name alone will cause searchers to click. It's usually more important to talk about your product or service and show a primary benefit.

Sit down with pencil and paper and think of a few dozen possibilities - just the way a copywriter does when coming up with a headline. Then choose the best idea and refine it. You might have success in a few minutes - but more likely you should plan to spend an hour or more.

Lastly, make absolutely sure that whatever you promised in that title is delivered on that page. I'm sure you'll agree that there are few things on the internet as annoying as searching for something, thinking you've found it, and being taken to a page that bears no resemblance to what you're looking for.

Marte Cliff is a Freelance Copywriter who specializes in making people feel good about buying products or services - or donating to worthy causes.

She has extensive experience in writing search engine optimized web copy, direct sales letters, postcards, space ad copy, press releases, and more. She is also available for marketing plan creation and editing services.

You can visit her at http://www.marte-cliff.com . While you're there, sign up for her marketing ezine. When you do, you'll also get access to reports that will help you get better results from your own writing.