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Facebook page titles are like a tattoos. They stay with you forever.

Facebook is generally forgiving. They let you change your page if you make a mistake or change your mind. Except for one thing: the title of your fan page. So, this is the most important decision you make on Facebook because there is no going back.

The only way to change your page title is to start a new page and try to get your fans to move from one page to the other. You may have noticed that we had to do this with the Author Tech Tips Facebook page a few weeks back.

Here are some tips so you can avoid our mistake.

What is a Facebook Page Title?

The page title is the first thing people see when they see your page. It is also all they see when someone suggests the page to them.

Tip 1 Keep it timeless

There is a chance that you will have your Facebook page for 20 years. Will it still be cool then? Don’t pick something too trendy. I would recommend picking a fan page that is the title of your book. You can also setup a fan page in your own name.

Tip 2 Keep it short

If your title is too long then people won’t take the time to read it. The general rule of thumb online is that shorter is better.

The exception to this rule is if your title helps explain the page. For example, Claire Culwell’s Facebook page does not just say “Claire Culwell” like I would normally recommend. It says, “Claire’s Story; Abortion Survivor“. The fact that Claire survived an abortion is remarkable and it has caused her page to spread organically. The title makes people want to know more.

The best name would have been Claire Culwell: Abortion Survivor. But now she has over 5,000 fans so changing the name would not be worth the effort. This is why picking the right name at first is so important. Know of a well named Facebook page? Leave us a comment and let us know.

Tip 3 Keep it ad friendly

Several months ago we started a Facebook page called PracticalCourtship.com. The page was meant to go along with the Practical Courtship website.  The page got great attention but with one problem. PracticalCourtship.com is too long of a title to fit on a Facebook ad.

Do you see how the title wraps around the ad like that? This is very bad and there is no way to fix this without starting the page over again. Or not placing Facebook ads.

See how much cleaner this is? Make sure your Facebook page title will look good in an ad even if you never expect to advertise on Facebook. You may be surprised down the road and you don’t want to be bound by a bad page title. Know a poorly named title? Let us know in the comments.

Suggestions & Examples

Here are some do’s and don’ts of Facebook page titles using the recommendations from above.

Do: Mary DeMuth

Don’t: Mary DeMuth author of Thin Places (too long)

Do: Rick Green

Don’t: Rick Green for Texas Supreme Court (Not timeless. What if he wants to run for something else?)

Do: Author Tech Tips

Don’t: AuthorTechTips.com (does not fit on an ad)

What are some good Facebook titles that you have noticed? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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