Red. Trail running shoes. Size 44. Salomon. Women.
These might look like random words, but to the savvy ecommerce site owner who understands both SEO and copywriting, they’re as good as gold.
Each word represents a different element of a product page title. When used together strategically and correctly, they can help your products fly off the virtual shelf.
Below, we’ll delve into the intricacies of crafting SEO-optimized titles that drive clicks and conversions and show you some best practices to adhere to when crafting your own.
Why Are Product Page Titles Important for SEO?
Product page titles play a pivotal role in search visibility, as search engines use them to understand the content and relevance of a page.
Like killer headlines, compelling titles can significantly impact user engagement, influencing whether a user clicks on your site or moves on to a competitor.
Product page titles serve as the first point of contact between a potential customer and your product – they’re the first thing a customer will see of your product and company when they’re perusing page one of Google.
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The Anatomy of a Powerful Ecommerce Title
A powerful ecommerce title is a carefully crafted combination of key elements designed to capture the attention of both search engines and users.
Each of these elements contributes to both SEO and user experience (UX), enhancing the visibility and appeal of your product page. Because of this, you should meticulously craft them for the best possible use.
Let’s break down each of these elements:
- Brand. Incorporating your brand name into the title boosts brand recognition, instills trust in potential customers, and demonstrates your authority. For new brands, a good practice is to place emphasis on descriptive keywords rather than the brand name if it isn’t well-known.
- Product Names. Clear and concise product names are essential for both SEO and UX. They should accurately reflect the product you’re selling to ensure that the product is relevant to the user and that the user understands precisely what the product is.
- Key Features. Highlighting one or two unique selling points (USPs) about the product will help it rank for long-tail searches while also communicating its value and various use cases.
Best Practices for Creating Ecommerce SEO Titles
We know exactly what needs to go into a product title, so how do we make one?
Luckily, this is more science than art, and there are several best practices that you can follow when creating SEO-friendly title tags for ecommerce pages:
- Length. Keep titles concise, ideally under 60 characters, to ensure they display fully in search results. You can use this title checker to ensure you’re not exceeding the display limit. Keep in mind titles will look different on smaller screens, so impactful or benefit-driven words should be at the beginning of the title.
- Keyword Placement. Place primary keywords toward the beginning of the title for maximum SEO impact, but avoid keyword stuffing (which Google frowns on and will actively penalize you for).
- Uniqueness. Each title should be unique and descriptive, accurately representing the page’s content. Obviously, there’s a limit to how uniquely you can describe a toothbrush or hub cap, but you should work within the limitations to develop compelling creative content.
- Frequency of Updates. Regularly update titles to reflect changes in inventory, promotions, or seasonality. This signals to Google that you’re keeping your products updated and relevant.
- A/B Testing Titles. Test different titles to see which ones perform better in terms of click-through and conversion rates. Can use tools such as Hotjar and Google Search Console to analyze performance and make data-driven decisions.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Ecommerce Titles
To help you navigate the complexities of title creation for ecommerce, here are some key do’s and don’ts to guide you when crafting your titles:
Do:
Prioritize clarity and brevity, ensuring titles are easy to understand and compelling.
Don’t:
Sacrifice creativity for SEO, as compelling titles are more likely to attract clicks and conversions.
Do:
Make titles unique and descriptive, avoiding generic phrases that offer little value to users.
Don’t:
Over-optimize your titles (e.g. stuff keywords), as this can negatively affect user experience and search performance.
Do:
Prioritize relevance by ensuring that your titles accurately reflect the content of the product page and align with the user’s search intent.
Don’t:
Don’t overlook analytics – metrics such as click-through, bounce, and conversion rate help you refine your title strategy and achieve maximum performance.
Keyword Research for SEO-Friendly Titles
Keyword research is the cornerstone of crafting SEO-friendly titles that improve visibility and attract the right audience. Without it, you’ll have no idea of the keywords you should be targeting, their search volume, and if you have any chance of ranking for them.
There are many different tools you can use to do this, but these are the ones that work best for me:
You can use these tools to conduct keyword research and a competitor gap analysis to uncover opportunities to differentiate your titles and stand out in the SERPs. Look into keywords your competitors use, how they structure their tiles, and how you can differentiate yours to make it stand out.
You can also do a Google search of the keyword you want to rank for to see who’s already ranking for it. That said, the specificity that a tool provides will help you make more informed decisions.
Examples of Optimized Ecommerce Product Titles
Now that we’ve gone over the academics of ecommerce product titles, let’s see how they look out in the wild:
Nike Men’s Air Zoom Pegasus 38 Jm Running Shoes
In this product title, Nike uses its brand and authority by positioning its name as the very first word of the title.
Buy iPhone 15 Pro Max 256GB Blue Titanium
Here, Apple propositions the reader with an action word (buy), while also highlighting the most important product features – name, storage capacity, color, and build material.
65-Inch Class Q60CB QLED 4K Smart TV (2023) – Samsung
Samsung uses the product title to describe the features of its TV. At a glance, the reader knows its size, resolution, display technology, and year of production.
These examples illustrate how incorporating brand, product names, and key features into titles can enhance SEO and user engagement, ultimately driving clicks and conversions.
SEO Is Essential for Ecommerce. Don’t Leave It to Chance.
Mastering SEO for ecommerce product page titles requires a delicate balance of creativity and optimization.
Understanding the nuances of title creation, following best practices, and conducting thorough keyword research are essential skills in ecommerce. You can craft compelling titles that resonate with search engines and shoppers – or you can let us do it for you.
We’re positioned to go deep into the nuts and bolts of SEO, while our editorial team is the best in the business when it comes to product titles, descriptions, and other ecommerce content.
If you’re ready to up your ecommerce game, get in touch with us today.
