Thread by @DarrenShaw_

Everyone knows that title tags are important for SEO, but I still see so many people doing them wrong.

Here are my tips for crafting the perfect title tag for local SEO 🧵

One of them is particularly controversial 🧐

#localseo #seo

Just in case you're not sure, title tags are the blue, clickable links that appear in the search results.

They are not the same as your headings. They are defined in the HTML source code of your website.

Most website platforms allow you to edit them for SEO.

If you put your mouse over your browser's tab, the title tag will show up.

It breaks my heart when I see a title tag that just says "Home" because for small businesses, the home page is the most important page to optimize.

Here are 3 steps to optimize your title tags.

1. Include keywords.

Type the primary category of your GBP into a keyword research tool like Google's Keyword Planner, which will give you the most frequently searched terms related to your category.

ads.google.com/aw/keywordplan…

I like to separate these terms into 2 categories: keywords and modifiers. For example:

Keywords:
🔸 plumber
🔸 plumbers
🔸 plumbing
🔸 plumbing company

Modifiers:
🔸 near me
🔸 emergency
🔸 best

2. Mention the locations you want to target.

Be specific. Start with your primary city and state, and then add any surrounding areas/neighborhoods you'd like to cover.

.@headley presented on localities at the 2020 @whitespark Local Search Summit.

Localities are basically neighborhoods/regions around your surrounding area. He found that adding 5 localities around the primary zipcode of a business resulted in ranking for 16% more keywords!

What about the brand name?

Unless you're a highly recognizable brand, I wouldn't recommend putting your business name in the title tag. Here's why...

Google loooves to rewrite title tags.

If you put your brand at the end of your title tag, Google will often move it to the front, and your important key phrases will be invisible in search.

Instead, mention your brand in the meta description.

Here's the controversial part: ✨ Do not worry about length ✨

Most SEO tools recommend 50-60 characters, but they are WRONG.

Keywords after the "..." still impact rankings, so why limit yourself?

The space after the "..." is the perfect place to hide all those localities.

3. Finally, edit the title tag to make it catchy and compelling.

While everyone else is keyword-dumping in their title tags, you can stand out and get more clicks by including words that inspire trust:

🔸 professional
🔸 same-day
🔸 expert
🔸 affordable
🔸 trusted

Here's my example 197-character title tag masterpiece 😅

Jim's Plumbing in Salem OR - Plumbers You Can Trust and Count On - Service in Dallas, Morningside, Hayesville, Four Corners, Chapman Corner, Oregon - Emergency plumbing company and repairs near me

What do you think? 😏

This title hits all the points:

✅ uses valuable keywords at the front
✅ includes primary locations & localities
✅ is catchy
❌ doesn't worry about length
❌ leaves out the brand name

Do you have any additional tips for great title tags?