using commas to separate words

[makapangyarihan]

Hello,

One question: is it ok for me to not put commas between words in the title tag? sometimes, i just can' find any other way to fit in my keywords in the title tag's ideal length (as far as i know what the ideal length for the title tag should be- 60 characters including spaces) but to take out commas where there should be. what effect would it have on my rankings?

Another question: is it ok for me to not put a period at the end of the description in the description meta tag and/or leave out commas where there should be as well to fit in my description? TIA

jon

[mncsc]

Hello makapangyarihan,

First, I think you have the longest username here. :)

You're not "strictly" limited to 60 characters, it's just that every keyword may not count as much as in a shorter title. But a title should not be a list of keywords. And if you want the entire title to be visible in a Google result, 59 characters is max.

Try targeting your most important 2 or 3 word keyword phrase and put it at or near the beginning of the title. Take a look at your high ranked competitor's titles for clues, and do a little research on the best keywords to target at Wordtracker (http://www.wordtracker.com/) - even the free trial (limited keyword reults for Altavista only) might give you an idea or two.

I try to make titles that incorporate the phrases, yet still read as an intelligible sentences if possible. Commas are ok - don't think they'd have any effect on your ranking, but you should put a space after each one rather than try to cram more text in.

The appearance of your title in the results could greatly affect whether a search engine user clicks on your listing. Keep that in mind when writng your title, too.

[makapangyarihan]

Hello,

Regarding the username, it's a local (I'm from the Philippines) word which means "powerful" 8)
Thanks for the insight- greatly appreciated.


jon

[Webmaster T]

Originally posted by mncsc
Hello makapangyarihan,

First, I think you have the longest username here. :)

You're not "strictly" limited to 60 characters, it's just that every keyword may not count as much as in a shorter title. But a title should not be a list of keywords. And if you want the entire title to be visible in a Google result, 59 characters is max.Look at the second listing in google for "search engine optimization" 63 characters. That is only what they write for title they may index even more!

[Advisor]

You don't have to put commas in your Title, and in fact, I never use them in a Title tag.

You also don't need to have a period in your meta description tag, but you might as well put it in if it's sentence like it should be.

Jill

[respree]

"You don't have to put commas in your Title, and in fact, I never use them in a Title tag."


Hmmm... I don't know if that's quite true. =:)

http://www.highrankings.com/consulting.htm

[ihelpyou]

lol You 'doug' up an old thread. :D

What she meant is that commas are certainly not necessary. The way she did that page is fine as the business name at the end makes no never mind anyway.

[g1smd]

>> Is it ok for me to not put commas between words in the title tag? sometimes, i just can' find any other way to fit in my keywords in the title tag's ideal length <<


The contents of the <title> tag are displayed in the SERPs. You want to make this a short plain-language phrase, and NOT a list of keywords.


Which site would you visit?

>> Holiday, Vacation, Sun, Sunny, Carribean, Flight, Hotel, ...
>> www.somewhere.com

>> Book a Holiday in the Sunny Carribean.
>> www.somewhere.com

[respree]

Quote: "Which site would you visit?

Holiday, Vacation, Sun, Sunny, Carribean, Flight, Hotel, ...
www.somewhere.com

Book a Holiday in the Sunny Carribean.
www.somewhere.com"

I agree, the first does not look as inviting as the second (and will probably get much lower clickthru rate), but isn't it possible you catch more fish using the first example, even considering the lower clickthrus?

sunny vacation
carribean vacation
vacation hotels
holiday flights
etc.

Or were you trying to say that diluting the title with so many keywords dilutes its effectiveness, and you should probably just concentrate on two or three keyword phrases and 'not' let the title tag 'serve too many masters'?

[Steve Sardell]

Hi Respree,

Your title tag should be the title of that specific page. Assumimg you are talking about your home page

Book a Holiday in the Sunny Carribean.
www.somewhere.com" is much better.

you also could write it as,

<Sunny Carribean Vacation reservations|your company>


The key phrases;
sunny vacation
vacation hotels
holiday flights
are way too broad. Do a search of vacation hotels and you will see what I mean. If you are targeting the American market the word *vacation* is more appropriate than *holiday*, if the European market then *holiday* is best suited. Although, *holiday* is still a good phrase to seek. IMHO, the best approach would be to build individual pages for your other key phrases. Title them with the key word/phrase on that page and then include the phrases in the body content and the description tag.

As always just my thoughts.