• seohunters9

        See all notifications

        Skip to content
        Moz logo Menu open Menu close
        • Products
          • Moz Pro
          • Moz Pro Home
          • Moz Local
          • Moz Local Home
          • STAT
          • Moz API
          • Moz API Home
          • Compare SEO Products
          • Moz Data
        • Free SEO Tools
          • Domain Analysis
          • Keyword Explorer
          • Link Explorer
          • Competitive Research
          • MozBar
          • More Free SEO Tools
        • Learn SEO
          • Beginner's Guide to SEO
          • SEO Learning Center
          • Moz Academy
          • MozCon
          • Webinars, Whitepapers, & Guides
        • Blog
        • Why Moz
          • Digital Marketers
          • Agency Solutions
          • Enterprise Solutions
          • Small Business Solutions
          • The Moz Story
          • New Releases
        • Log in
        • Log out
        • Products
          • Moz Pro

            Your all-in-one suite of SEO essentials.

          • Moz Local

            Raise your local SEO visibility with complete local SEO management.

          • STAT

            SERP tracking and analytics for enterprise SEO experts.

          • Moz API

            Power your SEO with our index of over 44 trillion links.

          • Compare SEO Products

            See which Moz SEO solution best meets your business needs.

          • Moz Data

            Power your SEO strategy & AI models with custom data solutions.

          Let your business shine with Listings AI
          Moz Local

          Let your business shine with Listings AI

          Learn more
        • Free SEO Tools
          • Domain Analysis

            Get top competitive SEO metrics like DA, top pages and more.

          • Keyword Explorer

            Find traffic-driving keywords with our 1.25 billion+ keyword index.

          • Link Explorer

            Explore over 40 trillion links for powerful backlink data.

          • Competitive Research

            Uncover valuable insights on your organic search competitors.

          • MozBar

            See top SEO metrics for free as you browse the web.

          • More Free SEO Tools

            Explore all the free SEO tools Moz has to offer.

          NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic
          Moz Pro

          NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic

          Learn more
        • Learn SEO
          • Beginner's Guide to SEO

            The #1 most popular introduction to SEO, trusted by millions.

          • SEO Learning Center

            Broaden your knowledge with SEO resources for all skill levels.

          • On-Demand Webinars

            Learn modern SEO best practices from industry experts.

          • How-To Guides

            Step-by-step guides to search success from the authority on SEO.

          • Moz Academy

            Upskill and get certified with on-demand courses & certifications.

          • MozCon

            Save on Early Bird tickets and join us in London or New York City

          Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints
          Moz API

          Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints

          Find your plan
        • Blog
        • Why Moz
          • Digital Marketers

            Simplify SEO tasks to save time and grow your traffic.

          • Small Business Solutions

            Uncover insights to make smarter marketing decisions in less time.

          • Agency Solutions

            Earn & keep valuable clients with unparalleled data & insights.

          • Enterprise Solutions

            Gain a competitive edge in the ever-changing world of search.

          • The Moz Story

            Moz was the first & remains the most trusted SEO company.

          • New Releases

            Get the scoop on the latest and greatest from Moz.

          Surface actionable competitive intel
          New Feature

          Surface actionable competitive intel

          Learn More
        • Log in
          • Moz Pro
          • Moz Local
          • Moz Local Dashboard
          • Moz API
          • Moz API Dashboard
          • Moz Academy
        • Avatar
          • Moz Home
          • Notifications
          • Account & Billing
          • Manage Users
          • Community Profile
          • My Q&A
          • My Videos
          • Log Out

        The Moz Q&A Forum

        • Forum
        • Questions
        • My Q&A
        • Users
        • Ask the Community

        Welcome to the Q&A Forum

        Browse the forum for helpful insights and fresh discussions about all things SEO.

        1. Home
        2. Research & Trends
        3. White Hat / Black Hat SEO
        4. Title Tag : use comma, pipe or colon (:)

        Moz Q&A is closed.

        After more than 13 years, and tens of thousands of questions, Moz Q&A closed on 12th December 2024. Whilst we’re not completely removing the content - many posts will still be possible to view - we have locked both new posts and new replies. More details here.

        Title Tag : use comma, pipe or colon (:)

        White Hat / Black Hat SEO
        5
        13
        40809
        Loading More Posts
        • Watching

          Notify me of new replies.
          Show question in unread.

        • Not Watching

          Do not notify me of new replies.
          Show question in unread if category is not ignored.

        • Ignoring

          Do not notify me of new replies.
          Do not show question in unread.

        • Oldest to Newest
        • Newest to Oldest
        • Most Votes
        Reply
        • Reply as question
        Locked
        This topic has been deleted. Only users with question management privileges can see it.
        • gamesecure
          gamesecure last edited by

          Hi,

          If Title has two and three keywords then which one is better option to separate them either with comma or pipe or colon.

          Example : Arvixe Review, Coupons (Jun 2015)  and Uptime Report  (I used (,) as a separator)

          Arvixe Review is primary keywords  and Coupons and Uptime are secondary keywords. Aim is rank on keywords like Arvixe Review, Arvixe Coupons and Arvixe Uptime.
          Also, including current month and year with Title tag and it will change every month. Its means every month our title is changed.
          Is this effect in SEO?

          Suggest best possible title for keywords like Arvixe Review, Coupons (Jun 2015)  and Uptime Report.

          Rajiv

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • ScopeUK
            ScopeUK last edited by

            Re: pipe or hyphen in browser title, does anyone know which is the more accessible option?
            GOV.UK, a leader in accessibility, uses hyphens...

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • ClaytonJ
              ClaytonJ @gamesecure last edited by

              Below is a copy and paste of keywords relating to Arvixe obtained from Semrush. You should check them.  Coupon is very competitive, so I have skipped that. So I would suggest:-

              Arvixe Hosting Review | Arvixe Coupon | Sitegeek

              or

              Arvixe Hosting Review | Arvixe Uptime Report | Sitegeek

              You should include your brand name as google usually will do regardless. It really is a personal decision as you know your brand / company best. Hope this helps.

              Keyword Volume CPC SERP source
              arvixe coupon 480 18.85  
              arvixe web hosting 170 6.10  
              arvixe control panel 90 24.38  
              arvixe hosting review 70 11.61  
              arvixe cpanel login
              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • gamesecure
                gamesecure @ClaytonJ last edited by

                Page is https://www.sitegeek.com/arvixe
                and want to target Arvixe Review, Arvixe Coupons and Arvixe Uptime Report

                should title ? Arvixe Review | Arvixe Coupons (Jun 2015)  | Arvixe Uptime Report

                or

                Arvixe Review | Coupons (Jun 2015)  | Uptime Report

                or

                Arvixe Review : Arvixe Coupons (Jun 2015)  and Current Uptime Report

                Arvixe Review is our primary keywords.

                ClaytonJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • ClaytonJ
                  ClaytonJ @gamesecure last edited by

                  The word Arvixe - would not be highly competitive - so need to use that 3 times. Coupons is competitive.

                  The below is the title that appears if I google Arvixe

                  Web Hosting | Shared Hosting | Website Hosting by Arvixe

                  Are you changing the Title to the home page or is it a new page? The Coupon page? The most common search term according to Semrush is "Arvixe Coupon".  The above suggestions appear to be targeting 3 different topics rather than one broadly, like your current title.  Need some more info on what page you are targeting and why - otherwise could be leading you down the garden path.

                  gamesecure 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • gamesecure
                    gamesecure last edited by

                    there are lot of variations in using comma, title or colon. I do google search with following keywords :

                    1. hotels review

                    2. cheap flights

                    3. airlines review

                    4. mobile recharge

                    5. mobile review

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • gamesecure
                      gamesecure @ClaytonJ last edited by

                      thanks John!

                      As you suggested that pipe is best for both SEO and clickability. So options should be as follow:

                      1. Arvixe Review | Coupons (Jun 2015)  | Uptime Report

                      Note -  we should use 'Arvixe with all there keywords . Even, few SEO research shows that a keywords should not be duplicated in Title. whats your take? we can use in such cases?

                      2. Arvixe Review | Arvixe Coupons (Jun 2015)  | Arvixe Uptime Report

                      3. Arvixe Review | Arvixe Discount Coupons  | Arvixe Uptime Report

                      Please Tell us which one would be better title.

                      ClaytonJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • ClaytonJ
                        ClaytonJ last edited by

                        You are always right... so I got confused!  All good...

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                        • PatrickDelehanty
                          PatrickDelehanty @ClaytonJ last edited by

                          Hi John

                          Yes, I am not disagreeing at all and sorry if that was portrayed somehow - especially if I gave a "free for all" point of view - this was not my intent. I was just referencing Matt from the perspective of "does it matter?" in Rajiv's question.

                          I personally like pipes in my titles. As long as it's clean, speaks to the content, and consistent across the site in format, you should be all good.

                          Be good!

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                          • ClaytonJ
                            ClaytonJ last edited by

                            Patrick

                            The company I work for specializes in CTR on search results - we run complex experiments on them ie 30-40 today alone. There is a difference between pipes and hyphens on CTR.  It is small but it is statistically significant. Sure it is irrelevant to most but for big boys chasing keywords like "car insurance" etc it is vital as each click is has such high cost in competitive spaces.

                            Matt Cutts noted the CTR factor between them as well. I do not believe it makes any difference on SEO except in so far as it uses more pixels.  So maybe we agree, but a clean tidy looking title that looks professional to the customer does have an impact on CTR.

                            PatrickDelehanty 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                            • PatrickDelehanty
                              PatrickDelehanty last edited by

                              Hi there

                              This is going to require some research about your audience and what they may be searching for. No one knows your audience and business better than you, so you need to make sure that whatever you are putting in the titles are both the best representations of your user's searches and your website's content. Be natural, be real, and be specific.

                              When it comes to pipes and hyphens, it doesn't matter. Here's a video from Matt Cutts on the subject.

                              Hope this helps! Good luck!

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                              • ClaytonJ
                                ClaytonJ last edited by

                                We do alot of experiments for clients on the difference between pipes, colons and hyphens.

                                99 out of 100 the pipe is the preferred separator.  Generally the pipe is best for both SEO and Clickability.   This is as the pipe also uses less pixels. Recommend as follows:-

                                Most Important Key Word | Second Keyword | Brandname ( no more than 512 pixels in length or otherwise it truncates).

                                If you detail a couple of options I can probably tell you what is likely best.

                                gamesecure 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                                • Andy.Drinkwater
                                  Andy.Drinkwater last edited by

                                  You are fine using any of them and it's down to personal preference, although I use a pipe because it is clearer when looking at the title. It also depends on the Title as well - sometimes a pipe won't do the job and you need to use a comma.

                                  Also, including current month and year with Title tag and it will change every month. Its means every month our title is changed

                                  I would try to avoid this. You don't want the same page title to keep changing. By all means add something to the page that states when it was last updated, but I wouldn't use the Page Title for this.

                                  -Andy

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                                  • 1 / 1
                                  • First post
                                    Last post

                                  Browse Questions

                                  Explore more categories

                                  • Moz Tools

                                    Chat with the community about the Moz tools.

                                  • SEO Tactics

                                    Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers

                                  • Community

                                    Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!

                                  • Digital Marketing

                                    Chat about tactics outside of SEO

                                  • Research & Trends

                                    Dive into research and trends in the search industry.

                                  • Support

                                    Connect on product support and feature requests.

                                  • See all categories

                                  Related Questions

                                  • RobinJA

                                    Does Google and Other Search Engine crawl meta tags if we call it using react .js ?

                                    We have a site which is having only one url and all other pages are its components. not different pages. Whichever pages we click it will open show that with react .js . Meta title and meta description also will change accordingly. Will it be good or bad for SEO for using this "react .js" ? Website: http://www.mantistechnologies.com/

                                    White Hat / Black Hat SEO | | RobinJA
                                    0
                                  • SEOBirmingham81

                                    The use of a ghost site for SEO purposes

                                    Hi Guys, Have just taken on a new client (.co.uk domain) and during our research have identified they also have a .com domain which is a replica of the existing site but all links lead to the .co.uk domain. As a result of this, the .com replica is pushing 5,000,000+ links to the .co.uk site. After speaking to the client, it appears they were approached by a company who said that they could get the .com site ranking for local search queries and then push all that traffic to .co.uk. From analytics we can see that very little referrer traffic is coming from the .com. It sounds remarkably dodgy to us - surely the duplicate site is an issue anyway for obvious reasons, these links could also be deemed as being created for SEO gain? Does anyone have any experience of this as a tactic? Thanks, Dan

                                    White Hat / Black Hat SEO | | SEOBirmingham81
                                    0
                                  • Shawn_Huber

                                    Can I leave off HTTP/HTTPS in a canonical tag?

                                    We are working on moving our site to HTTPS and I was asked by my dev team if it is required to declare HTTP or HTTPS in the canonical tag? I know that relative URL's are acceptable but cannot find anything about HTTP/HTTPS. Example of what they would like to do Has anyone done this? Any reason to not leave off the protocol?

                                    White Hat / Black Hat SEO | | Shawn_Huber
                                    0
                                  • edward-may

                                    I'm changing title tags and meta tags, url, will i loose my ranking?

                                    Hi Guys QUESTION: I'm currently going through a re-design for my new website that was published in November 2014 - since launching we found there were many things we needed to change, our pages were content thin being one of the biggest. I had industry experts that came in and made comments on the title tags lacking relevance for eg: our title tag for our home page is currently "Psychic Advice" most ideal customers don't search "Psychic Advice" they search more like "Online Psychic Reading" or Psychic Readings" I noticed alot of my competitors also were using title tags such as Online Psychic Readings, Free Psychic Readings etc so it brings me to my question of "changing the title tags around.  The issue is, im ranking for two keywords in my industry, online psychics and online psychic readings in NZ. 1. Our home page and category pages are content thin.... so hoping that adding the changes will create perhaps some consistency also with the added unique and quality content. Here is the current website: zenory. co.nz and the new one is www.ew-zenory.herokuapp.com which is currently in development I have 3 top level domains com,com.au, and co.nz Is there anyone that can give me an idea if I were to change my home page title tag to **ZENORY | Online Psychic Readings | Live Psychic Phone and Chat ** If this will push my rankings down though this page will have alot more valuable content etc?  For obvious reasons im going to guess it will make drop, I'm wondering though if it is worth changing the title tags and meta descriptions around or leaving it as is if its already doing well? How much of a difference do title tags and meta descriptions really make? Any insight into this would be great! Thanks

                                    White Hat / Black Hat SEO | | edward-may
                                    1
                                  • Lisa-Devins

                                    Do I lose link juice if I have a https site and someone links to me using http instead?

                                    We have recently launched a https site which is getting some organic links some of which are using https and some are using http. Am I losing link juice on the ones linked using http even though I am redirecting or does Google view them the same way? As most people still use http naturally will it look strange to google if I contact anyone who has given us a link and ask them to change to https?

                                    White Hat / Black Hat SEO | | Lisa-Devins
                                    0
                                  • Tintanus

                                    Can H1 and Meta title be exactly the same ?

                                    I've heard from some SEO's that H1 and Meta Title shouldn't be exactly the same, why ? Both of them describe what is ON the page right ? Why is it Spammy? Is it ?

                                    White Hat / Black Hat SEO | | Tintanus
                                    2
                                  • keeot

                                    Unique page URLs and SEO titles

                                    www.heartwavemedia.com / Wordpress / All in One SEO pack I understand Google values unique titles and content but I'm unclear as to the difference between changing the page url slug and the seo title. For example: I have an about page with the url "www.heartwavemedia.com/about" and the SEO title San Francisco Video Production | Heartwave Media | About I've noticed some of my competitors using url structures more like "www.competitor.com/san-francisco-video-production-about" Would it be wise to follow their lead? Will my landing page rank higher if each subsequent page uses similar keyword packed, long tail url?  Or is that considered black hat? If advisable, would a url structure that includes "san-francisco-video-production-_____" be seen as being to similar even if it varies by one word at the end? Furthermore, will I be penalized for using similar SEO descriptions ie. "San Francisco Video Production | Heartwave Media | Portfolio" and San Francisco Video Production | Heartwave Media | Contact" or is the difference of one word "portfolio" and "contact" sufficient to read as unique? Finally...am I making any sense?  Any and all thoughts appreciated...

                                    White Hat / Black Hat SEO | | keeot
                                    0
                                  • PeterConnor

                                    A site is using their competitors names in their Meta Keywords and Descriptions

                                    I can't imagine this is a White Hat SEO technique, but they don't seem to be punished for it by Google - yet. How does Google treat the use of your competitors names in your meta keywords/descriptions? Is it a good idea?

                                    White Hat / Black Hat SEO | | PeterConnor
                                    0

                                  Get started with Moz Pro!

                                  Unlock the power of advanced SEO tools and data-driven insights.

                                  Start my free trial
                                  Products
                                  • Moz Pro
                                  • Moz Local
                                  • Moz API
                                  • Moz Data
                                  • STAT
                                  • Product Updates
                                  Moz Solutions
                                  • SMB Solutions
                                  • Agency Solutions
                                  • Enterprise Solutions
                                  • Digital Marketers
                                  Free SEO Tools
                                  • Domain Authority Checker
                                  • Link Explorer
                                  • Keyword Explorer
                                  • Competitive Research
                                  • Brand Authority Checker
                                  • Local Citation Checker
                                  • MozBar Extension
                                  • MozCast
                                  Resources
                                  • Blog
                                  • SEO Learning Center
                                  • Help Hub
                                  • Beginner's Guide to SEO
                                  • How-to Guides
                                  • Moz Academy
                                  • API Docs
                                  About Moz
                                  • About
                                  • Team
                                  • Careers
                                  • Contact
                                  Why Moz
                                  • Case Studies
                                  • Testimonials
                                  Get Involved
                                  • Become an Affiliate
                                  • MozCon
                                  • Webinars
                                  • Practical Marketer Series
                                  • MozPod
                                  Connect with us

                                  Contact the Help team

                                  Join our newsletter
                                  Moz logo
                                  © 2021 - 2025 SEOMoz, Inc., a Ziff Davis company. All rights reserved. Moz is a registered trademark of SEOMoz, Inc.
                                  • Accessibility
                                  • Terms of Use
                                  • Privacy

                                  Looks like your connection to Moz was lost, please wait while we try to reconnect.