Title tag
 "Zoran Artmagic")
Reviewed by Zoran Artmagic ·
The title tag is the title of a page, defined in the source code. It appears as the clickable headline in search results, in the browser tab and often as the title when a page is shared or cited as a source by an AI assistant. For search engine optimisation it is one of the most important elements on the page: it tells Google in a few words what the page is about and helps decide whether someone clicks in the search results.
What the title tag looks like
The title tag sits in the header section of a page:
<title>Buy metal raised beds: 40 models | Garden Store</title>
It isn’t the same as the page’s visible main heading, the H1. Both should match the same topic, but don’t have to be identical. It often even makes sense to word them differently: the title is written for the search results, the H1 for the visitor on the page.
Element | Where it appears | Task |
title tag | search results, browser tab, shared links | name the topic and prompt a click |
H1 | as a heading on the page | orient visitors on the page |
as text below the title in search results | summarise the content and justify the click |
Why the title tag matters so much
Relevance: Google uses the title as a strong signal of what a page is about. A title that clearly names the topic helps the page be found for the right search queries.
Clicks: in the search results, the title is the most prominent element. A clear, concrete title increases the click-through rate, and more clicks at the same position mean more visitors.
Recognition: in the browser tab and in bookmarks it helps people find the page again.
How long can a title be?
There is no fixed character limit. Google truncates titles in search results by pixel width, at around 600 pixels on desktop. Depending on the letters, that corresponds to roughly 50 to 60 characters. A narrow “i” takes less space than a wide “M”.
Longer titles aren’t an error; Google reads them in full. But searchers don’t see anything beyond the limit. So the rule is: the most important part goes first.
How a good title is structured
Main term first: the term the page should be found for, as close to the start as possible.
Concrete benefit: what the page offers, such as range, delivery time, comparison or instructions.
Unique per page: every page has its own title. Identical titles on many pages make it harder for Google to assign them; more on this under duplicate content.
Natural wording: no list of search terms. A title like “raised bed, raised beds, buy raised bed, cheap raised bed” looks dubious and is often rewritten by Google.
Brand at the end, where useful: the store name creates recognition, especially on pages where customers compare providers.
Which terms a page should target follows from keyword research.
Patterns for online stores
Page type | Pattern | Example |
category | main term + benefit + store | Metal raised beds: 40 models, delivered in 3 days | Garden Store |
product | brand + model + key attribute | Gartenwerk metal raised bed 200 × 80 cm, anthracite |
guide | question or task + benefit | How to fill a raised bed: layers, soil, timing |
brand | brand + range + store | Gartenwerk raised beds & accessories | Garden Store |
following pages | category title + page number | Metal raised beds – Page 2 | Garden Store |
How title, content and structure turn into a page that ranks and sells is shown in the article on SEO landing pages in your online store.
When Google rewrites the title
Google doesn’t always show the title a page specifies. Since 2021, Google sometimes generates the displayed title itself, for example from the H1, from link texts or from other headings on the page. This mainly happens when the title is missing, too long, stuffed with search terms, identical on many pages or doesn’t match the content. In most cases, however, Google uses the specified title.
If you want Google to show your own title, make sure it is short, unambiguous and matches the H1.
Title tags in Shopware and Shopify
Shopware 6 offers a dedicated meta title field in the SEO section for products, categories and Shopping Experiences. If it is empty, Shopware generates the title automatically, usually from the name. For large ranges, it is worth defining good templates and maintaining the most important categories and products by hand.
Shopify shows the page title in the “Search engine listing” section of every product, collection and page. Without its own entry, Shopify uses the name. How the store name is appended is determined by the theme.
More on the peculiarities of the systems under Shopware SEO and Shopify SEO.
Typical mistakes
The same title on many pages: for example all categories with “Online store for garden supplies”.
Only the store name: the title reveals nothing about the page’s content.
Truncated main term: the most important part is at the end and isn’t shown in the search results.
Overloaded titles: many search terms in a row, often with several vertical bars.
Duplicate brand: the system appends the store name even though it is already in the title.
Years that go out of date: “Guide 2024” looks outdated the following year. A visible update date shows freshness better.
How to check your titles
In Google Search Console: pages with many impressions and few clicks are the best candidates for a better title.
With search operators: site:your-store.com shows how Google displays your pages’ titles. More queries are in the article on Google search operators.
With crawling tools: they find missing, duplicate and overly long titles across the whole store.
Frequently asked questions
How many characters should a title have?
As a guideline, 50 to 60 characters. What matters is the width in pixels, so the most important part goes at the beginning.
Is the title a ranking factor?
Yes, it is one of the most important on-page signals. But it only works together with matching content. A good title for a weak page achieves little.
Do the title and H1 have to be the same?
No. They should match the same topic. The title is optimised for search results, the H1 for the page itself.
Does the company name belong in every title?
Not necessarily. On pages where customers compare providers, it builds trust. On purely informational pages, the space can be better used for content, especially as Google shows the website name above the result anyway.
Why does Google show a different title?
Usually because the title is too long, overloaded, identical on many pages or doesn’t match the content. A short, unambiguous title that matches the H1 is almost always adopted.