According to SEO Moz’s article “Title Tag Best Practices” there are two preferred manners in which to write title tags using best practices:
1) “Primary Keyword – Secondary Keyword | Brand Name”
2) “Brand Name | Primary Keyword and Secondary Keyword”
Until recently, the listing for Dragonfly SEO on SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) showed the designated Title, which was a variation of #1: “Maryland SEO Company | Baltimore SEO Services | Dragonfly SEO”. However, as of yesterday the Title is now being shown as “Dragonfly SEO: Maryland SEO Company | Baltimore SEO Services”.
Google, in its omnipotence, has placed the brand name at the beginning of the Title and added a colon, clearly demonstrating its preference for the #2 formula and changing out the pipe (|) for a colon. I have seen these results for numerous domains and keyword searches and believe Google is trying to tell us that its preferred Title formula is: “Brand Name: Primary Keyword and Secondary Keyword”. If you’re looking to create the best title tag possible, this shift may be a peek into what Google is looking for.
