The Vital Title Tag

Meta tags don't count for a lot these days, except for the TITLE, so I'd tend to put that first. It usually matches the page TITLE, though often adds the site title (if different), and sometimes adds a sub title, especially if that includes key words.

The TITLE tag is absolutely vital. lack of title, misuse of title, even duplicating one title on different pages, can contribute to a heavy dose of Sick Site Syndrome.

For page TITLES, there's no absolute rule; I tend to put "actual page title - category title - site title"; that makes sense for readers, looks sane in search results, and, by its nature, includes most keywords relevant to the page.

It's always useful to have the <TITLE> tag feature the title of your site, as well as the page TITLE, rather than hide that under the marketing blurb

"Page Title at Site Title, the keywords pages"

To provide the best for SEs as well as visitors, the TITLE should reflect the PAGE content. If it falls short, more general section and / or site bits added on the end, would not hurt.

Failure to make full use of the title tag means the site may look weak in the results listings - most search engines use your title tag as the site title in listings.

Lack of this vital item - or using the same title across different pages - can contribute to pages being diverted to 'supplementary listing', or, at worst, dropped completely.

Is Sick Site Syndrome New?

Nope, SSS is as old as the hills. Well, as old as Search Engines, anyway! But it does change, as search engines update and change algorithm, so sites need to change to be sure they are not left behind. For example, you may be doing something that was perfectly alright two years ago, but since then, search engine spammers have abused the technique by overuse and inappropriate use. So the search engines have had to chaneg things to stop the abuse. Your site may have been caught in the crossfire.