What is more important, a catchy title or a correct keywords?

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   ruanz3posted 14 years ago

   I heard someone say that if possible your hub title should be the exact keyword that you use as your main keyword, if you want to rank high in search engines. But that doesnt allow for a catchy title which will get you seen easier on a social bookmark site for instance, which could boost your traffic and your search engine ranking as well. So which is more important?

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      darksideposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      If you want to rank high in search engines it will be the content.
      
      You can have the best URL/Title, but unless you back it up with the quality content you're not going to compete.

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   MyWebsposted 14 years ago

   That sounds like something I said in one of my hubs.
   
   If you did mean me I would add that while having an exact match makes it much easier to rank for your keywords, it is not 100% necessary. Next best thing would be to have a Title with your main keywords first and the rest following it.
   "Backup Software Review - The Best and Worst solutions"
   
   At a minimum your Title should have your keywords in there somewhere. The further you stray from an exact match the more SEO work, back-linking, it will take to rank for your keyword phrase.
   
   Everything is a balancing act and having a catchy title does help to get clicks. Personally I use the description part for this role. On search engines and social bookmarking sites the description is what a person is most likely to read in my opinion. I think of the Title as a short, concise summary of what the hub is about.
   
   Another factor would be how competitive your keyword phrase is. If it is real competitive an exact match gives you a better shot. A phrase thats not so competitive would be easier to hit page one without an exact match. But if the phrase is real easy is it worthwhile to even go after? Keyword research is key to deciding this.

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      ruanz3posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Yea actually i was thinking of you What is in your opinion a competitive keyword, and what is not? Would you say a keyword that gets between 5 figure and 6 figure amount of searches a month is competitive? Which is the range that you look at?

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         MyWebsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         To determine competitiveness I mostly look at a combination of the number of competing web sites in Google search and their Google Page Rank.
         
         There may only be a few million competing web sites for "XYZ", but if everything on page one of Google has a PR6 that is still a tough cookie to crack.
         
         On the flip side for a common phrase I've seen 120 million competing that was still easy to hit page one for. There is no exact number that will tell you, it takes a bit of experience to figure out I think.
         
         Ultimately if your goal is drive traffic from Google then you must look closely at what your competing with on page one.  The numbers in the keyword tool are only an estimate and are not always right.
         
         I do see others here doing well without an exact Title match so its definitely not all that matters, but it does help a lot. It is just one of many factors that goes into on page optimization. I do think I was a bit too extreme in my hubs advice trying to make my point and should update it again. I did already add something to this effect recently.

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            ruanz3posted 14 years agoin reply to this

            So your page rank has to be higher than those on page one to rank there? What should their PR be if you wana be on the first page? This is all so complicated lol. Is it even worth it to try and figure out SEO? It seems so complicated and ever changing.

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               MyWebsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               No your page rank does NOT have to be higher, although it sure does help. I have outranked PR5's with a PR0. But that is not easy to do. If your PR0 is more relevant than that PR5 you can rank higher. It is not impossible by any means.
               
               Amount of competing web pages and Google PR just gives you a basic idea of the level of competition. It sure doesn't mean you can't get up there and play with the big boys.
               
               Here lately Google has been downplaying PR importance a lot, so do not think PR is all that anymore. It is a good indicator of how important and trust worthy a web site is, at least thats how I look at it.
               
               Yes SEO is a bit complicated, especially since no one knows for sure exactly what Google's current algorithm has in it. Best we can do is make educated guesses, and experiment to see what works.
               
               Getting a lot of free hits every day does make it worth it. You could always spend a small fortune on PPC if you like. I prefer the free way of doing things instead of spending money.

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                  ruanz3posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  Well thanks for your continuing replies, and its good ot hear that PR is not everything. Gives me some new hope Im still pretty far from figuring SEO out the way you have, or thats what it feels like anyway. Also, back linking is also messing with my mind. Do follow links thats worth it seems to be hard to come by.

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      pooja0908posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I agree your keyword is most important. That should be used in your title and our content.

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   thranaxposted 14 years ago

   They got it wrong. The title should contain your main keyword, but it shouldn't be just that. Example:
   
   Main Keyword(subject) Green Apples
   
   Title: Did you know Green Apples are the best Apples to eat?
   
   Into Text:
   
   Apple, Apple, Apple who hasn't eaten an apple? Apples are great healthy foods for snacks and even in cooking meals. They can be eaten whole or cooked in a pie or a bread. Some are juiced and others flavor stews and soups. No matter what your use, apples are great for vitamins and minerals. As the doctor always says, an apple a day keeps the doctor away! Well the doctor was always right,but green apples are better then the rest and this is why...
   
   Analysis:
   Title Keywords (2) Green Apples, Apples
   Intro Keywords (8) Apple (5) Apples (3) Green Apples (1)
   
   Title Keyword 5.5% Density
   Intro Keyword .10% Density Apples total
   Key Green Apples: .01 Density
   Key Apple: .06
   Key Apples: .05
   
   In total, it is best to keep below a 5% density or the bots will think you are keyword spamming.
   
   Hope this helps a little,
   
   ~thranax~

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      ruanz3posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      In other words what you wrote above would be keyword spamming? How did you work out the title keyword density?

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      Dale Mazurekposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      This is almost a perfect example.  I have been quite succesful using 3 to 7 percent keyword density.
      
      You are totally right.  have the keywords incorporated into a catch title.
      
      Green Apples Are Green Because They Are Not Red
      
      
      Another thing thats catchy is How To and So many reasons.
      
      How To Grow Green Apples Indoors
      How To Use Green Apples In Pie
      
      10 reasons green apples are better than red
      5 best times to buy green apples
      6 best places to grow green apples
      
      And so forth and so forth
      
      Dale

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   MyWebsposted 14 years ago

   The Google Knol  mentioned in one of my hubs: http://knol.google.com/k/seo-knol-group# has several "Keyword Density" Tools to use.
   
   I never worry about keyword density. If your really talking about "XYZ" your going to mention it enough naturally so its relevant. I worry more about saying it too many times and appearing spammy than not enough.
   
   Google's Matt Cutts said in a video that mentioning "XYZ" more than about 3 times does not make any difference. I couldn't find the video after scanning 200 video titles.
   Should I tweak my titles and descriptions to improve my CTR- -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THYguer_JrM
   Is over-optimization bad for a website? (he speaks on keyword density)-->
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz0KQNPDUoc
   
   I hope this helps a bit. I would suggest watching more of Matts videos as he works for Google and knows what he is talking about.

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      ruanz3posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Just three times? Thats too little isnt it? Thanks for the tools.

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         MyWebsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Matt basically said something to the effect of:
         You mentioned "XYZ" once. Hey this web page is about "XYZ".
         Oh he mentioned "XYZ twice. We take even more notice. This is really about "XYZ"!
         Wow he mentioned "XYZ" a third time....
         ok we get it, your web page is all about "XYZ". Enough already.
         
         I think the reason I couldn't find it on Google Webmaster Help channel was because it was within one of them 1 hour videos from last years Google I/O conference. He was talking about a furniture web page.
         
         Maybe three time isn't enough, but I sure wouldn't worry about how many times you say it either. If your Title, URL and description all have your keywords plus at least a  few times on your page I think Google gets it by then.. LOL
         
         I tend to think off site factors matter more at this point. Like how many incoming links you have, anchor text used in links, page rank of linking sites than saying "XYZ' 20 times instead of 3 times. Others may disagree though...

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            ruanz3posted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Ok i get it.

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   Glenn Stokposted 14 years ago

   The more important between the two (correct keywords or catchy title) I'd have to say that a catchy title is much more important. Why? Because it's the first thing they see. Why not keywords? Because keywords are tricky. If they are too vague they can bring too much unrelated traffic. That kind of traffic just clicks away real fast and you don't want that happening. One thing that affects ranking is how long people stay on your hub.

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      MyWebsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Relevant keywords are important. Time spent on web page or hub is also important. You need both. Good keywords and a catchy title gets them to your hub, great content keeps them there,
      
      Yes time spent is a factor and it sure can help a hub to slowly climb up the rankings if people stick around on your page.
      
      "If they are too vague they can bring too much unrelated traffic."
      
      This is why you need good, related, targeted keywords. Very generic keywords sure won't get you the right type of traffic. But are you really ever going to rank for "cars"? You may have a shot at "Blue Chevrolet Impala Las Vegas". The more generic a keyword phrase is the harder it is to rank for. Long tail keyword phrases is what gets you the right traffic and they are more attainable.
      
      I do think a catchy Title is important though and I need to work harder on this aspect to increase my own CTR.

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   soni2006posted 14 years ago

   This is something I was looking for. A really good and useful discussion on how to use title and keywords in your hubs efficiently. Thanks a lot friends. I learned something new today.

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   MyWebsposted 14 years ago

   While I have a couple of SEO hubs that many have found useful Peter Hoggan has a complete SEO course for hubbers. It begins here:
   http://hubpages.com/hub/A-Free-SEO-Trai … or-Hubbers

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   sagbeeposted 14 years ago

   I guess correct usage of keywords with appropriate title is very important.. rest is known to those who are the experts of SEO..

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   shazwellynposted 14 years ago

   You know - and I could be wrong - but I am thinking that it is not an either/or situation, rather a hotch potch of all things.  I feel that you can have a keyword in the title but also a variation of keywords.  I think it is important to have long tailed keywords as much as anything.  Thinking in terms of what you would put in the search engine when looking for an article like yours.
   
   For example...
   
   Free Online Stories:  The cat sat on the mat
   
   Keywords
   
   free online stories, a short story, free short story, story, the cat, the cat sits, the cat sat, cat sat mat, stories, cta sat on the mat (mis spellings count), writing and publishing, mats and cats,
   
   then it also depends on the competition...
   
   free online stories - clicks £1.23 might have  2300 with 1/4 shade on adwords tool
   online stories free clicks £2.25 might have 2000 with no shading
   
   Out of the two options, online stories free would be better to put in keywords list because it has less competition and more price per click.
   
   Does this make sense and remember I could be wrong!
   
   The better of the two is no shading, but 1/4 is good

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