Why your homepage title might be costing you clicks
The 60 characters Google shows first, and a simple formula to make them work for your business.
When your website appears in Google, the first thing people see is not your beautiful homepage. It is one blue line of text: your page title. If that line says "Home" or just your company name, you are probably losing clicks to competitors who explain in a few words what they do and where.
The good news: changing a title takes five minutes, and it is one of the most effective SEO actions for a small business.
What is a page title?
The title (the title tag) is a short text written in the code of each page. Google usually shows it as the clickable blue line in search results, and browsers show it in the tab. Each page of your site should have its own.
It plays two roles at the same time:
- it tells Google what the page is about
- it convinces the person searching to click on you rather than on the next result
The most common mistakes
- "Home" or "Welcome": says nothing about you.
- Only the company name: fine for people who already know you, useless for people looking for a service.
- The same title on every page: Google can't tell your pages apart.
- A list of keywords: "Plumber Geneva plumbing Geneva cheap plumber" looks like spam and puts people off.
- Too long: after about 60 characters, Google cuts the title with "...".
A simple formula that works
For a local business, this structure works in most cases:
Main service + town | Business name
For example:
- Physiotherapy in Zürich | Praxis Muster
- Emergency Plumber Geneva, 7/7 | Dupont Sanitaire
- Wedding Photographer in Lausanne | Studio Lumière
Put the most important words first, because that is what people read. If you have room, add something that makes you different: "7/7", "free quote", "since 1998".
Quick tip: write your title for a person, not for Google. If you would click on it yourself, you are on the right track.
One page, one main search
Each page of your site should target one main search. Your homepage can target your main activity and town. Then each service deserves its own page and its own title:
- Bathroom renovation in Annecy | ...
- Heat pump installation in Annecy | ...
This is why a site with one page per service usually ranks better than a single page that lists everything.
Don't forget the description
Under the title, Google often shows a short description (the meta description). It does not directly change your position, but it strongly influences whether people click. Use about 150 characters to say what you offer, to whom, and what to do next:
"Certified physiotherapy practice in Zürich Oerlikon. Sports injuries, back pain, rehabilitation. Appointments within the week, book online."
How to check your titles
Type site:yourdomain.ch into Google. You will see the list of your pages as Google shows them. Read the titles one by one and ask yourself: would a new client understand what I do and where, in one second?
If not, change them in your website's settings (in our sites, this is in the SEO tab of the admin panel). Google takes a few days to a few weeks to show the new version.
In short
- One unique title per page, around 50 to 60 characters
- Service + town first, business name at the end
- Written for humans, not stuffed with keywords
- A clear description that makes people want to click
It is a small change, but on a page that already appears in Google, a better title can bring more visitors without improving your position at all.
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