Title Tags

5-10 minBeginner

Medium automatically generates title tags from your story headlines. Understanding how to optimize them is key for search visibility.

Prerequisites

  • Medium account
  • Published or draft stories
Easy Recommended

Story Headline Optimization

Your headline becomes your title tag.

1

How Medium Handles Titles

1

Your story headline becomes the <title> tag.

2

Format: {Your Headline} | by {Author Name} | {Publication} | Medium

3

If no publication: {Your Headline} — {Author Name} | Medium

4

Medium appends branding automatically—you cannot remove it.

2

Headline Best Practices

1

Keep it under 50 characters to prevent truncation.

2

Front-load keywords: Primary keyword first.

3

Numbers work: '7 Ways to...' performs well.

4

Avoid clickbait: Medium penalizes it algorithmically.

3

Subtitle Impact

1

Your subtitle appears in meta description, not title.

2

Use the subtitle to add context and secondary keywords.

3

Together, headline + subtitle should tell the full story.

Verification Checklist

  • View Source
  • Google Search