Robert_Charlton - 10:19 am on Feb 20, 2004 (gmt 0)

Beyond just title length, keyword proximity is an important factor in Google titles.

To use one of the titles above as an example...

Platinum Widgets Wholesale Prices California Widget Manufacturing

...suppose you're targeting platinum widget manufacturing.

The more competitive "platinum widget manufacturing" is, the fewer intervening words you'll want between "platinum" and "widget." If it's competitive enough, you might need an exact match in the title.

If it's less competitive, for a given page, you can spread the words out. Sometimes, just one word can make a difference. You may not rank with the title as is, but if you dropped, say, "prices," you might find that you'd beat your competition.

Keep in mind, though, that competition is a big factor here... and that the title, while probably the most important on page factor, is not the only factor. Inbound links, exact matches on the page, what other sites do, and current algo are all interrelated with what's going on in the title and how a title reacts with a search.