Title tag
A title tag is the HTML element that names a page. Search engines often use it as the clickable headline in results.
A title tag is the HTML element that gives a page its name, written as <title> in the page's head. Browsers show it on the tab, and search engines often use it as the clickable headline in their results. It's one of the first things search engines and AI platforms read to work out what a page is about.
For a marketer, the title tag is a small piece of copy that does two jobs: it tells search engines what the page covers, and it persuades people to click.
Writing a good one
Put the main subject first, in the words people use. Make each page's title different. Keep it short enough to show in full on a phone, since long titles get cut off. Add your brand name at the end if there's room.
Google doesn't always show your title. If it thinks another line on the page describes it better, such as the main heading, it rewrites it. Its guide to title links explains when and why.
For example, Fernhill Coffee's page on cold brew had the title "Blog | Fernhill." It said nothing. Changed to "Cold brew coffee ratio and recipe | Fernhill Coffee," it matches what people search, and the result looks worth clicking.
Title tags and AI answers
AI platforms see your title when they search, and many show it when they cite your page. A clear, specific title helps the platform judge from the search results whether your page answers the question, before it reads a word of the page. A vague one makes it easier to skip you for a page whose title says exactly what it covers.
In AnswerOrbit
One of the eight Page checks in Recommendations is whether a page has a title and headings, and another is whether the prompt appears in a heading. We run the same checks on up to five pages the platforms cite for that prompt, so you can compare. See Recommendations.