What Does the “Title is too Short” Issue Mean?
“The title is too short” issue typically means that a title, whether for a webpage does not meet the minimum length requirements. This can be problematic for several reasons:
- SEO and Visibility: Short titles may not be as effective for search engine optimization (SEO). Search engines prefer descriptive titles and provide enough context about the content, which helps in ranking the content higher in search results.
- User Understanding: A short title might not give enough information for users to understand what the content is about. This can reduce the likelihood that users will click on the link or engage with the content.
- Content Management Systems (CMS) Requirements: Some CMS platforms have built-in requirements for title length to ensure consistency and adequate description across content.
- Readability and Clarity: Titles that are too short may lack clarity and fail to convey the main idea or focus of the content effectively.
Why it is Important
Short headers aren’t generally a big issue and come with no penalty for page ranking. Even so, they are indicative of missed opportunities.
Given that the title tag is interpreted by search engines as the content area with the highest priority on any given page, this is a perfect place to include targeted keywords. Compared to a header shorter than 40 characters, a longer title is more likely to include more relevant keywords, while also being more natural sounding and informative.
Google normally shows the first 50-60 characters of a title tag. Thus, when keeping headers up to 60 characters in length, about 90% of the titles would appear in full. The fact that there is no exact character limit is explained by the fact that Google allocates to each header a maximum of 600 pixels in length while characters vary in width.
How to Check the Issue
Look at the source code. Do it by through your browser – for instance, right-click on a page in the Chrome browser and selecting “View page source” would open the source code. Alternatively, use this online tool.
To locate the title, just search for the sequence <title>.
Or just use an online service like Sitechecker to conduct a comprehensive audit of your website and pinpoint pages with excessively short titles.
This will provide you with the capability to view a complete list of affected pages and their source codes.
Check your website for short title tags
Audit your website to detect pages that have too short title tags
How to Fix the Issue
To fix the issue of “the title is too short,” you can follow these steps:
- Understand the Content: Make sure you fully understand the content you are titling. This will help you create a more descriptive and accurate title.
- Add Relevant Keywords: Include important keywords that represent the main topics or themes of your content. This not only makes the title more informative but also improves SEO.
- Be Descriptive: Expand the title to give more context. Instead of using a single word or a very short phrase, try to explain the content in a bit more detail.
- Use Phrases and Questions: Sometimes turning the title into a question or a phrase can help make it longer and more engaging.
- Avoid Redundancy: Ensure the additional words add value and are not just filler. Each word should contribute to a clearer understanding of the content.
Tools to Assist
Use the Keyword Suggestion Tool to find relevant keywords and phrases.
- Online title generators can inspire and help you create longer
- Some CMS platforms provide guidelines or plugins that can help you optimize your titles.
By following these steps and using the right tools, you can create longer, more descriptive titles that will improve the visibility and clarity of your content.
