Best Page Title Style

include site title? at the beginning or the end?

[dcheney]

Howdy,
Recently I changed domain names for a variety of reasons. But one thing I had not thought about is the effect on the page titles. Before I used something in the form of "WXYZ: Blue Widget, Blah". But the new domain name is a two word combo so the new titles are in the form "Xxxxxx-Yyyyy: Blue Widget, Blah".
This may not seem like a big change, but now instead of having a site id "WXYZ" and at least part of the page content "Blue Widget" showing on browser tabs, in the apps list, etc. its mostly just my site name "Xxxxxx-Yyyyy".
I considered briefly using something like "XY: Blue..." but "XY" just isn't unique enough to have any value.
Does anyone think this is something to even worry about, or am I the only one who'll even notice the difference?

[SmallTime]

Why have the domain name in the title at all? Is it well known enough to be a keyword searched for? Short and sweet and keywords is my theory.

[dcheney]

Well I've only been at the new domain for under 2 months, and just now getting in google. Before that I didn't have any real logging. So far the site name is being used in quite a lot of the searches (about a quarter), but the numbers are still small enough that I don't really trust them. I'll know more in a month.
The abbreviation on the old site ("WXYZ") did make a good search keyword.
The other benefit is that the average person coming into the site goes directly to an internal page and may not realize the scope of the site. By having the site name in the title it also appears in google and other searches, which can't hurt in upping the site name recognition.

[Grumpus]

But the search term up front. If you site name has the search term in the name, it can go first. If the product is what they'll search for, put the product first. I doubt it makes a "TON" of difference, it will make some.

G.

[BrunoDillen]

I think it's a very good idea to have your domain name in the title tag. Especially when it had some keywords in it. People see it as results in SE's and that's free branding.

[pageoneresults]

> I think it's a very good idea to have your domain name in the title tag. Especially when it had some keywords in it.

This will all depend on what your domain name is. If you were able to secure a domain name that uses your primary theme phrase, then yes, it is a good idea to use it in page titles where applicable.

What I normally recommend is that the page title be relevant to the page. You can put the domain name at the end, something like this...

Blue Widgets in California - Los Angeles Blue Widgets

Keep in mind that those first 5-7 words in the title are the most important. If the page where the title resides needs those 5-7 words for phrases relevant to that page, then the domain name may not be an option. If it has to be there, put it at the end.

You can also use the domain name at the end of every page title. You will need to carefully plan each page title so that the first 3-5 words are phrases that are relevant to the page. The company name at the end will add to the overall theme structure of the site.

P.S. You can also approach this from another angle and place the company name at the beginning, but only if it contains the primary theme phrase for the site. Then you will need to carefully plan the first 2-4 words that appear after it so there is logic and readability. Don't just stuff non-meaningful phrases. They need to make sense!