GrowthPedia

Website Title vs Article Title

A website title is the name of the whole site, while an article title is the headline for a specific piece of content; in SEO, 'title tag' is the page-specific HTML element.

Level: BeginnerRead: 1 minUpdated: 27 Jul 2026By Vera Lindqvist

Key facts

  • The title tag is an HTML element in the page head that describes a specific page and is often shown in browser tabs and search results.
  • Google recommends that each page have a unique, descriptive title tag and avoid repeated boilerplate text.
  • An article title is the headline visible on the page, while the website title in branding refers to the site name.
  • Google may rewrite title links in search results, so the displayed title is not always identical to the title tag you set.

Also called

site title vs post title, brand name vs headline, title tag vs H1

Use it for

distinguishing the site-wide brand from the page-specific headline

Applies to

Google / Bing / all search engines

Site-Wide Brand vs Page-Specific Headline

The term 'website title' can mean two things. In SEO, it refers to the HTML title tag, which is page-specific. In branding or citation, it means the site name, like 'GrowthPedia'. An article title is the headline for a single piece of content, appearing as the H1 heading. For example, on a site named 'GrowthPedia', an article about SEO might have the title tag 'What Is SEO? A Beginner's Guide | GrowthPedia'. Here, the article title is 'What Is SEO?', and the website title is 'GrowthPedia'.

How Search Engines Use Titles

Search engines use the title tag to understand the page's topic and generate the clickable link in search results. A unique, descriptive title tag helps ranking and click-through rates. Google advises against repeated boilerplate text. For Landing Page SEO, the title tag should reflect the landing page's offer, not just the brand. The title tag and H1 can differ but should align. For seo articles, the H1 is the article title visible on the page, while the title tag can include the brand name. Tools like seo article writing software help manage these distinctions.

Common Mistakes with Titles

Many site owners make avoidable errors. Below are three frequent issues:

  • Using the same title for every page: confuses search engines and reduces snippet uniqueness.
  • Writing a site-wide brand title where a specific article headline is needed: weakens relevance for the query.
  • Treating the H1 and title tag as identical by default: blurs the distinction and loses brand context.

When the Terminology Gets Confusing

Outside SEO, 'website title' often means the site name for citation. For example, in APA style, you need the website title (e.g., 'GrowthPedia') and the article title (e.g., 'What Is SEO?'). This confusion leads to searches like 'how to cite a website in-text'. Tools like Yoast SEO Title help set the title tag separately from the article title. Similarly, SEO Title Wordpress plugins let you control both. For article submission seo, you must distinguish the article title from the site name. Additionally, redaction article seo involves careful title differentiation.

Common mistakes

  • Using the same title for every page Confuses search engines and reduces the uniqueness of search snippets, making it harder for users to distinguish pages.
  • Writing a site-wide brand title where a specific article headline is needed Weakens relevance for the page's query, since the title doesn't match the content.
  • Treating the H1 and title tag as identical by default Blurs the distinction between the search-facing title and the on-page heading, and you lose the chance to add brand context.

Questions

how to cite a website in-text

In-text citation for a website typically includes the author's last name and the year of publication. If no author, use the website title (the site name) in quotation marks. For example: ("GrowthPedia", 2025). The article title is used in the reference list.

website title vs publisher

The website title is the name of the entire site, e.g., "BBC News". The publisher is the organisation that makes the site available, e.g., BBC. In citation, both can appear, but they are different fields. In SEO, the website title is the brand, while the publisher is not typically used in title tags.

how to cite an online article apa

In APA 7th edition, cite an online article as: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. *Title of Website*. URL. The article title goes in sentence case, and the website title goes in italics. For example: Smith, J. (2023). What is SEO. *GrowthPedia*. https://example.com

See also

Sources

  1. Google Search Central: Influencing title links in Google Search developers.google.com
  2. Screaming Frog: Page titles guide screamingfrog.co.uk
  3. Google Search Central: Title link best practices developers.google.com

Outbound links are unpaid and nofollow. If one has gone stale, tell me.

Vera Lindqvist

Vera Lindqvist has worked in SEO since 2014 — first in-house at an ecommerce retailer, then freelance for small teams that could not afford an agency. She writes GrowthPedia in her own time and pays for the hosting herself.

Written and maintained by one person. No ads, no affiliates, nothing for sale. Found an error? Tell me and I will log the correction publicly.