What is the purpose of an optimized title tag?

An optimized title tag serves as a primary signal to search engines like Google, indicating the main topic and content of a web page. This helps Google accurately categorize and rank the page for relevant search queries. A well-crafted title tag also influences click-through rates from search results, as it's often the first thing users see. It doesn’t have no direct SEO impact; it's a fundamental on-page SEO element. While keywords are important, the title tag is not a space for "stuffing" keywords, as this can lead to penalties and a poor user experience. Instead, it should be concise, descriptive, and include relevant keywords naturally.