How To Write Page Titles That Get Clicks

Want to write page titles that rank and get clicks? Let’s go beyond the basics.

Most SEO advice tells you to:

• Use keywords
• Keep the page title under 60 characters
• Add your brand name

These rules work, but they’re just the start. Let’s explore how to write page titles that drive real traffic and conversions.

Know the SERP When Writing Page Titles

Before writing any page title, you must understand the SERP you are targeting. Learning how to write effective page titles for SEO starts with recognizing that different types of pages require different title strategies.

Writing for a Blog Post

If you are writing the page title for a blog post, you are fighting for attention.

You are competing in crowded SERPs where standing out is crucial. Users typically browse multiple options, looking for the most valuable or interesting content.

For example, if you are writing a blog post about content marketing strategies, you’re competing against dozens of similar articles.

Your title needs a unique angle:

• Basic: 10 Content Marketing Strategies for 2025
• Better: 10 Content Marketing Strategies We Tested in 2025 (3 Actually Worked)

The second title stands out because it promises tested results and honesty, which is rare in a sea of generic advice.

Writing for a Product Page

If you are writing the page title for a product page, you are fighting for trust.

Learning how to write page titles for product pages means addressing a different challenge. Establishing trust. Users searching for products are comparing options and looking for confidence signals. And making sure your audience trusts your title is crucial when you’re fighting other pages as well as AI Overviews, Shopping Listings, and other SERP features.

For example:

• Basic: Wireless Noise-Cancelling Headphones | BrandName
• Better: Professional Noise-Cancelling Headphones with 40hr Battery | BrandName

The second title addresses key purchase concerns directly in the title, which helps to build trust before the click.

Writing for a “What is…” Page

When you’re writing page titles for informational queries, you’re competing with Google’s SERP features themselves. Not just other sites.

Over the years, Google has started to use more SERP features to keep people on the SERP for informational queries:

• AI Overviews
• Featured Snippets
• Knowledge Panels
• People Also Ask & People Also Search For

Fighting for attention on informational queries is much harder. But it can still be done.

For example:

• Basic: What is Search Engine Optimization?
• Better: What is SEO? A Complete Guide for Beginners in 2025

The second title clarifies who the content is for and emphasizes freshness, two things that Google’s snippets can often lack.

Clicks Don’t Mean Rankings – Clicks Mean Customers

When writing page titles, focus on your real goal. You don’t just want any traffic. You want the right traffic.

Think about it this way:

• A page title that brings 100,000 clicks with a 0.01% conversion rate = 10 customers.
• A page title that brings 1,000 clicks with a 10% conversion rate = 100 customers.

Which would you prefer? Which would your client prefer? The choice seems clear.

Consider these two titles for the same content:

• Traffic-Focused: Email Marketing Services | Professional Email Campaigns
• Conversion-Focused: Email Marketing That Generates Leads While You Sleep

The first title might attract more general clicks. The second will attract fewer clicks but more qualified leads. It speaks directly to what business owners want: Results without effort.

Yes, Google likely uses click data for ranking. But clicks from the wrong audience won’t help your business. They create false signals of success while your conversion rate suffers.

Write page titles for people who will take action. Target the specific pain points and desires of your ideal customers. This creates a nice cycle:

1. Better qualified traffic
2. Higher conversion rates
3. Stronger business results
4. Better signals to Google

Ask yourself: Would you rather rank Position 1 for everyone or rank Position 2 for exactly the right people?

Match the Searcher’s Emotional State in Your Page Titles

Great page titles connect with the searcher’s emotional state at the moment of search. This requires understanding where they are in their journey.

“Beginner’s Guide to SEO” will have a different emotional response than “Stop wasting time on bad SEO advice!”

It’s the same topic. But it’s been written in a different tone, with a different intent. Knowing how to write effective page titles for SEO means recognizing this distinction.

Consider the emotional state behind these searches:

• How to fix leaky tap = Frustration and urgency.
• Best investment apps for beginners = Curiosity and potentially a slight anxiety.
• Symptoms of food poisoning = Worry and discomfort.

Your page title should acknowledge and address these emotions:

• Fix that Leaky Tap in 10 Minutes (No Special Tools)
• 5 Investment Apps That Won’t Intimidate First-Time Investors
• Food Poisoning or Stomach Bug? Symptoms That Till You Which

Each title recognizes the emotion behind the search and promises relief or a resolution.

Be Specific When Writing Page Titles – Then Cut 20%

Being specific builds trust and boosts click-through rates. But long, wordy titles often get cut off on SERPs.

A smart approach to writing page titles is to start with a specific version and then trim it down as much as possible.

For example:

• Original: 17 SEO tips we used to grow traffic by 140% in 3 months.
• Trimmed: 17 SEO tips that grew traffic 140% in 3 months.

The trimmed version maintains all the specifics of the page title:

• The exact number of tips.
• The precise result.
• The timeframe.

But it uses 25% fewer characters while preserving the meaning and impact.

The “Two Titles” Trick for Writing Effective Page Titles

This technique helps you balance SEO requirements with the need to generate clicks from the right audience.

Here are the steps:

1. Write one title that is optimized for ranking.
2. Write a title that is optimized for clicks.
3. Blend the two.

For example:

• Ranking-Focused: Best Project Management Software for Small Teams
• Click-Focused: Finally Stop Missing Deadlines with These Project Tools
• Blended: Best Project Management Software to Stop Missing Deadlines

Blended titles maintain keyword relevance while incorporating the emotional or benefit-driven elements we discussed earlier. In other words, it’s the perfect balance.

Spy on SERP Competitors to Write Better Page Titles

If all you are doing is re-writing your H1 tag, you are not competing effectively. An essential part of writing page titles is analyzing the SERP to gain intelligence.

Scan the SERP and ask:

What angles are others using?

Look at the top ten results and find patterns. Are they using numbers? Promising quick results? Focusing on beginners? If everyone is using the same approach, yours will blend in.

What’s missing?

Identify gaps in the existing titles. If every title about “workplace productivity” focuses on tools and apps, maybe your angle could focus on psychological techniques or environment design.

Remember, you don’t need to conform to the general consensus of the SERP 100% of the time. This is something Mark Williams-Cook spoke about previously on LinkedIn:

What feels stale?

Some SERPs are filled with outdated approaches. For example, if a SERP for weight loss tips is full of titles giving you ten easy ways to lose weight, you might stand out with a page about science-backed weight loss approaches.

Again, remembering the point above, you don’t need to always agree with the rest of the SERP. Sometimes, a contrarian view is great for driving additional clicks.

Here’s an example analysis for the SERP on home office setup:

Current SERP titles:

• A Gallery Of Home Office Tips & Ideas
• Need some suggestions on my home office setup
• 9 Ultimate Minimal Desk Setup tips
• Home Office Ideas, Tips and Inspiration – Which?
• The Home Office Setup You Need to Work from Home Like…

What’s missing?

I notice three clear gaps:

1. No mention of specific benefits (productivity, comfort, health)
2. No timeframes (How long the setups take to build)
3. No results-focused language

The current titles focus on generic ideas and tips. They don’t address why people search for home office setups: To work better, feel better, and save time.

Potential standout titles:

• The 30-Minute Home Office Setup That Eliminated My Back Pain
• 7 Home Office Essentials That Boosted My Productivity 35%
• The Ergonomic Home Office: Setup Once, Feel Better All Day

Each title fills a gap in the current SERP. The first promises a quick setup with health benefits. The second offers specific productivity gains. The third highlights comfort and long-term benefits.

Remember: Don’t just be different. Be different by addressing what searchers actually want but can’t find in the current results.

Mastering How to Write Page Titles

Writing page titles that get clicks goes far beyond basic SEO practices. By doing the following:

• Understanding the SERP environment
• Focusing on conversion rather than just ranking
• Matching emotional states
• Being specific yet concise
• Using the two titles trick
• Analyzing competitors 

You can create titles that stand out and drive valuable traffic.

The best page tiles don’t just contain keywords. They contain promises. Promises that resonate with searchers and drive them to click because they believe your content will solve their problem better than any other result.

Ready to test these strategies and write better page titles? SEOTesting can help you measure which title approaches drive the most valuable traffic to your site. We’ve got a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. So sign up today!