Best practices for article titles, meta titles, meta descriptions, and slugs in B2B copywriting

At a glance: meta information content elements

• Article title: Also known as the Primary heading, Headline, Header or Content title. This text is styled as the H1 and displays on the page with the content.
• Meta Title: Also known as the Page Title or Title Tag. This text displays on the browser tab and in the source code of the page. It is read by crawling robots and displays on search engine results pages.
• Meta description: This text lives in the source code of the page and displays below the page title on search engine results pages.
• Slug: This is the text that makes up the URL of the webpage where the content is displayed. 

Why meta information matters

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Ranking signals: Meta titles with relevant keywords can improve a blog post’s visibility in search engine results.
  • Click-through rate (CTR): Engaging meta descriptions can increase the likelihood of users clicking on the link when it appears in search results. Higher CTR positively impacts SEO.
• User experience
  • Informative: Meta titles and descriptions provide a brief summary of the content, helping users quickly decide if the blog post meets their needs.
  • Relevance and appeal: A clear and compelling meta description can attract the right audience by setting genuine expectations about the blog content.
• Brand consistency and trust: Consistent and professional meta information across blog posts can enhance brand perception and trustworthiness.
• Convenient social sharing: When blog posts are shared on social media, meta titles and descriptions display as preview snippets. Well-crafted snippets can boost engagement and sharing rates.

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Core writing principles shared by all elements

The four principles to follow when writing metadata are: 

1. Make it engaging
2. Make it tight
3. Make it compelling
4. Make it trustworthy

Let’s dive into these. We’ll use the OSP Editing Codes to explain the principles. Learn more about OSP Editing Codes.

Engaging

• WIIFM - Understand user intent and use the primary keyword naturally to connect with what the user is looking for and to highlight relevance.
• CNECT - Use language that will connect with your target audience. This will be the target keywords, and any other domain or product-specific words that will resonate with readers.
• Use action-oriented language.
  • Start with a verb
  • Use active voice.

Tight

• CRISP - Write sentences that are spare and concise. The character limit for most of these elements requires tight writing. Strictly follow the character limit guidelines (see relevant section of this guide).
• CLEAR - Avoid vague descriptions and be as specific as possible. Watch the character count. Every word must earn its place.

Compelling 

• Be persuasive and provide a clear reason for users to click.
• ACTIV - Center the reader in the action and avoid gerund (-ing) phrases.
• VERBS - Use powerful verbs. These can stand alone, so you don’t need extra words to convey the message. For example, rather than “run,” try “sprint,” “dash,” or “bolt.” 

Trustworthy

• FACT - Accurately reflect the content of the page.
• HYPER - Avoid hyperbole and exaggeration.
• Maintain a consistent tone. We want continuity of experience (no nasty surprises!) from when a reader sees the meta description in search results to when they land on the web page. Each element should work in harmony with the others, not compete or repeat. 
• Be unique. Each page should have a unique title to avoid duplication issues and accurately reflect the content. Meta descriptions must be unique across a website.

Article title

• Also known as the Primary heading, Headline, Article or Content title.
• Styled as an H1 HTML element. There is only one H1 on a page.
• The H1 is usually the most prominent element on the page. 
• Character count: Make it longer than the meta title. 
• It should contain the primary keyword and give a good indication to the reader of what the content is about. How to Make Your Tags Matter in SEO
• Refer to client’s preferred style guide for case style (title case or sentence case).

Writing Article titles

• Write the article title before you write the content. Revisit it after you’ve completed the piece and see if it needs any adjustments for accuracy. 
• Keep it concise, yet descriptive enough to convey the main topic of the page. 
• Sometimes you can mention the type of content, for example, guide, comparison, or how-to. 
• Don’t include acronyms in the article title - it can get awkwardly long spelling them out.
• Use question-format judiciously. If you do ask a question in the article title, answer it immediately in the subtitle or the first sentence of the opening paragraph.
• If you have a subheading, include primary keywords in the H1. Use the subheading to add context to the H1 and further detail from the thesis.

Note: Generative AI is a useful tool for helping you craft a content article title. At OSP, we use AI to create an outline and brief and to suggest three article title options for our content. 

Examples

Sulu’s blog post - Keyword “Structured Content”

Article title: Mastering Structured Content: A Comprehensive Guide to Structured Content CMSs

Meta title: Unlocking Efficiency and Consistency: The Power of Structured Content Management Systems with Sulu CMS

B13’s user flow guide - Keyword “user flow design”

Article title: Excelling in User Flow Design

Subtitle: A Comprehensive Guide to Best Practices in UX

Meta title: Excelling in User Flow Design: Best Practices in UX by b13

B13’s RabbitMQ how-to 
Article title: Better scalability with decoupled queues: How to set up RabbitMQ with TYPO3

Meta title: How to set up RabbitMQ as a message queue for TYPO3 with DDEV

Meta Title

• Also known as the Page Title or Title Tag.
• Displays on the browser tab and on search engine results pages.
• Character count: Within the range of 50-70 characters to avoid being cut off in search engine results. OSP aims for around 60 characters. Some search engines crop to the closest word after 60 characters. For example, if the last word in your meta title exceeds the character count, you may lose the entire word. Use a preview tool to check.
• Use different words to the article title but include the primary keyword.  

Writing meta titles

Write the meta title after the article is drafted. Consider the finished piece in conjunction with the article title. Try out a few different drafts. It may take a few attempts to settle on the final version.

Note: Generative AI is a useful tool for helping you craft a meta title. At OSP, we use AI to suggest a meta title that uses the main keyword and ensures maximum click-through rate appeal. 

Examples

The following meta titles show how different keywords are used (compared to the article title) for SEO optimization. They typically include product names, industry, or domain keywords:

Keyword “Security compliance management”

Article title: Improving CMS Operations with Strategic Security Compliance Management

Meta title: Effective Security Compliance Strategies for Your Business

 

Keyword “US digital service playbook”

Article title: Applying the U.S. Digital Services Playbook for Strategic and Sustainable Success

Meta title: Leveraging the US Digital Services Playbook for Gov Services

Meta descriptions 

• Displays below the page title on search engine results pages.
• Character count: Within the range of 120 - 158 characters to avoid being cut off in search engine results. 
• Must be unique across a website. 
• Don’t keyword stuff. Be descriptive and accurately summarize the content on the page.
• Any words that match the search term are bolded in the description on the search results page. 

Writing meta descriptions

Try to encapsulate what the piece is about. Don’t bury the LEDE. Check the introduction and the conclusion of the article to find key bits of information for the meta description.

Write the meta description after you’ve drafted the main content. It can also help to come back to it after a break from writing, so you have fresh eyes. Generative AI is a useful tool for crafting meta descriptions. You can share the entire draft article and ask for a suggested meta description based on the content. 

See also HubSpot’s How To Write Meta Descriptions.

Respond to the search query

Try to anticipate the reader’s search query and provide an answer or solution in the meta description. You can use OSP’s challenge-solution-benefit structure, or tell readers they will find answers to their question with your content.

Examples:

The OSP Value Map page answers the “what is a value map” question:
Product communications and sales enablement for technology organizations. We translate complexity to business value.

B13’s RabbitMQ blog post follows the challenge-solution-benefit format:

When built-in message transports hit their limits, RabbitMQ can provide TYPO3 with a scalable, robust message queue.

Calls-to-action (CTAs)

Provide a clear reason for users to click - at the beginning or the end of the description. Although you can’t put a clickable CTA in the meta description, you can use words in the text to entice readers to click through and read the article. What will they get when they reach the page? For example, 

• Discover how…
• Learn more about… 
• Find out about …

You can also try a very brief sentence at the end of the meta description that hints at the CTA on the page. For example

• Start a free trial.
• Contact us today.
• Book a workshop.
• Level up your writing.

Examples:

OSP’s Strategize page:

Learn more about Open Strategy Partners’ strategic methodologies and tools.

 

OSP’s Build a Star workshop: 

Create powerful, useful individual profiles with your team. Boost your website SEO and have fun while growing closer. Book a workshop!

Slugs

• The part of a URL that comes after the domain name and typically describes the page content in a concise way.
• Character count: All words in the H1, minus prepositions. 
• Use hyphens to separate words.
• Keep the slug similar to the Article title (H1) of the page. This orients the reader.
• Slugs are powerful. They can influence SEO and play a part in UX.
  • Relevant keywords in the slug improves the page's visibility for those keywords in search results.
  • Clean, readable slugs create trust and can positively influence a person to click on a link.
  • Structured slugs can convey the hierarchy of a site to provide context and help with site navigation — for readers and search engines.
  • Use your judgment though because slugs can be a double-edged sword: Longer slugs are more descriptive, thus better for the on-page UX. Shorter slugs are better for sharing and typing, and some sites like LinkedIn don’t shorten (and thus obfuscate) URLs that are already short.

Previewing

There are several free tools you can use to preview how your content will look in search engines results. Typically you can type directly into the tools or paste your draft meta content to see how it might look in different channels.

• SERP Snippet Optimization Tool
• Meta Tags
• Mangools SERP simulator 

Putting it all together

Here are some complete examples.

B13’s RabbitMQ how-to:
H1: Better scalability with decoupled queues: How to set up RabbitMQ with TYPO3

Meta title: How to set up RabbitMQ as a message queue for TYPO3 with DDEV 

Meta description: When built-in message transports hit their limits, RabbitMQ can provide TYPO3 with a scalable, robust message queue.
Slug:...better-scalability-with-decoupled-queues-how-to-set-up-rabbitmq-with-typo3

 

TYPO3 GmbH’s CMS localization article:
H1: CMS Localization: What to Consider and Why it Matters

Meta title: CMS Localization: What to Consider and Why it Matters - TYPO3 the Open Source Enterprise CMS

Meta description: CMS Localization allows businesses to make an impact on a global scale. From culturally resonant copy, to streamlined content, and high-quality translations, discover how TYPO3 empowers brands to leave their mark.
Slug:...cms-localization-what-to-consider-and-why-it-matters

 

Sulu’s content modeling article:

H1: The Power of Content Modeling: A Deep Dive into Structured Content Techniques 

Meta title: Unleashing the Potential of Structured Content Modeling: Empower Your Business with Sulu CMS - Sulu

Meta description: Discover the transformative power of structured content modeling with Sulu CMS. Enhance your content creation, management, and delivery capabilities with advanced content modeling techniques. Request a personalized demo, download our comprehensive guide, or start using Sulu for free today.

Slug:...the-power-of-content-modeling-a-deep-dive-into-structured-content-techniques

This guide by Jeffrey A. McGuire is licensed under CC BY 4.0