This is a title that has absolutely nothing to do with the entry it's on

Feb 4, 12:12 AM - and

I’ve never quite grasped why people insist upon changing their titles with every layout change or adding in random signs, letters or words that are supposed to signify something, but in reality mean absolutely nothing to me, the visitor.

For example, here is a tutorial site: Some people think they live in a perfect world. It’s easy when you close your eyes.. Is it just me or do I see no mention of tutorials in that title?

Search for the title of my site on any search engine (you can choose to leave the .com off if you please), my site is the first result for both (at least on the ones I checked). Now search for the entire title for that tutorial site, it’s not even on the first page! And I can guarantee that that title will be changed with each layout, people don’t even have a chance to search for that site using that title, and that results in the owner losing visitors.

If you own a tutorial site then stick tutorial somewhere in there. Crappy Tutorials, for example, works well. Most other sites benefit from using their domain name (with the exception of sites on a subdomain, of course) or just a clear and easy to read title that doesn’t confuse poor search engines.

Keep the title constant between layout changes. Version numbers do not belong in the title nor do random quotes or lyrics from your favourite song. Those things are best kept in your sidebar, footer or on their own special page so they don’t hurt your ranking on Google.

The same is true for page titles, blog titles and basically anything that needs a title. It should be clear and easy to understand, it should also reflect the content for which it is acting as a title for. Oompa Loompa Doopity Doo doesn’t belong on a blog that isn’t discussing Oompa Loompa’s!

Tags: blog-titles, rant, stupidity, tutorial

I’ve never quite understood this either, but when I first entered the blogging world, many of the “elite” blogs had always-changing titles. They always made me feel as if there was some deeper meaning that I was just unable to grasp.

And then one day, I woke up and realized that those titles were all really quite silly.

#1 Dorie Feb 3, 10:49 Permalink

“Oompa Loompa Doopity Doo” AHAHA.

Okay, actually, before I used those kinds of titles with the spaces and all, but I stuck around to using the site name or something relevant to the site. Now that you’ve mentioned this, it seems pretty silly to me.

#2 Ellie Feb 3, 20:32 Permalink

I have to admit that I did use those bloody titles before. Writing sappy song lyrics instead of a title describing what the page is about. *hangs head

#3 Melle Feb 4, 00:50 Permalink

Oh I used them too. I used to have a title like: **~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Site Name **~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ YOU GIVE MY LIFE MEANING BB **~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ No kidding.

I was also Weborexic /hangs head/

#4 Becky Feb 4, 01:03 Permalink

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