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Document doesn't have a <title> element

Document doesn't have a <title> element

• Updated
Appears in: Accessibility audits|SEO audits

Having a <title> element on every page helps all your users:

  • Search engine users rely on the title to determine whether a page is relevant to their search.
  • The title also gives users of screen readers and other assistive technologies an overview of the page. The title is the first text that an assistive technology announces.

How the Lighthouse title audit fails

Lighthouse flags pages without a <title> element in the page's <head>:

Lighthouse audit showing HTML document doesn't have a title elemement

How to add a title

Add a <title> element to the <head> of your page. Make sure the title clearly states what the page is about. For example:

<!doctype html>
  <html lang="en">
    <head>
      …
      <title>20-week training schedule for your first marathon</title>
      …
    </head>
  <body>
    …
  </body>
</html>

Tips for creating great titles

  • Use a unique title for each page.
  • Make titles descriptive and concise. Avoid vague titles like "Home."
  • Avoid keyword stuffing. It doesn't help users, and search engines may mark the page as spam.
  • It's OK to brand your titles, but do so concisely.

Here are examples of good and bad titles:

Don't

<title>Donut recipe</title>

Too vague.

Do

<title>Mary's quick maple bacon donut recipe</title>

Descriptive yet concise.

See Google's Create good titles and snippets in Search Results page for more details about these tips.

Resources

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