How to Fix a Missing or Bad Title Tag — Beginner's Guide

What you need and why

Your website files live on a computer called a server — not on your own computer. To edit them, you need two free tools:

1. 1 Notepad++ — your text editor This is the program you use to open, read and edit your website's code files. Think of it like Microsoft Word — but for code. It colour-codes everything so the file is much easier to read than a plain text editor.
2. 2 FileZilla — your file transfer tool This is the program that connects your computer to your server so you can download files, edit them in Notepad++, and upload them back. Think of it like a bridge between your computer and your website.

Part 1 — Install Notepad++

1. 1 Go to the Notepad++ website Open your web browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox — any of them) and go to:
   
   https://notepad-plus-plus.org/downloads/
   
   This is the official website. Do not download it from anywhere else.
2. 2 Click the latest version You will see a list of versions. Click the top one — it will say something like Notepad++ 8.x.x. The exact number does not matter, always pick the one at the top of the list.
3. 3 Download the installer On the next page, scroll down until you see a list of download links. Click the one that says npp.x.x.x.Installer.x64.exe — this is the standard Windows installer. A file will download to your Downloads folder.
4. 4 Run the installer Open your Downloads folder and double-click the file you just downloaded. Windows may show a warning asking "Do you want to allow this app to make changes?" — click Yes. Then click Next on every screen until the install finishes. You do not need to change any settings.
5. 5 Check it works Click the Windows Start button (bottom left of your screen), type Notepad++ and press Enter. A dark or white editor window should open with a blank tab. That means it installed correctly. You can close it for now.

Part 2 — Install FileZilla

1. 1 Go to the FileZilla website In your browser, go to:
   
   https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?type=client
   
   Make sure you are downloading FileZilla Client — not FileZilla Server. The Client is the one you need.
2. 2 Click the Download button Click the big green Download FileZilla Client button. A pop-up may appear asking which version — choose FileZilla (the free one, not Pro). The installer file will download to your Downloads folder.
3. 3 Run the installer Open your Downloads folder and double-click the FileZilla installer file. Click Yes on any Windows security prompt, then click I Agree on the licence screen, then Next on every screen after that. Do not change any options.
4. 4 Open FileZilla Click the Windows Start button, type FileZilla and press Enter. A window will open with two panels side by side. The left panel is your computer. The right panel is your server (it will be empty until you connect). At the top there is a toolbar with four boxes: Host, Username, Password, Port.

Part 3 — Connect FileZilla to your website

To connect, you need your FTP login details. These come from your hosting control panel — either Plesk or cPanel. Follow the section that matches what your host gave you.

If you have Plesk:

1. 1 Log in to Plesk Go to your Plesk login URL — it usually looks like https://yourdomainname.com:8443 or your host will have emailed it to you. Log in with your Plesk username and password.
2. 2 Find your FTP credentials In Plesk, click on your domain name, then look for FTP Access in the menu. You will see an FTP username listed there. The password is the same one you use to log in to Plesk, unless you set a different one for FTP.
3. 3 Find your hostname Your hostname is simply your domain name — for example yourdomain.com. Do not include https:// or www. in front of it when typing it into FileZilla.

If you have cPanel:

1. 1 Log in to cPanel Go to https://yourdomain.com/cpanel and log in. Your host will have emailed you the login details when you signed up.
2. 2 Go to FTP Accounts In cPanel, scroll down to the Files section and click FTP Accounts. You will see your main FTP username listed there.
3. 3 Get your FTP hostname Click Configure FTP Client next to your account. You will see a box showing your FTP hostname — it usually looks like ftp.yourdomain.com. Copy this exactly.

Now connect in FileZilla:

1. 1 Fill in the four boxes at the top of FileZilla At the very top of FileZilla you will see four boxes. Fill them in exactly like this:

   Box	What to type
   Host	Your domain name, e.g. yourdomain.com
   Username	Your FTP username from Plesk or cPanel
   Password	Your FTP password
   Port	Leave this blank — FileZilla will figure it out

2. 2 Click Quickconnect Click the Quickconnect button to the right of the four boxes. FileZilla will connect. A message may appear asking about the server certificate — click OK or Trust to continue.
3. 3 Find your website files in the right panel The right panel now shows your server's folders. Look for a folder called httpdocs (Plesk) or public_html (cPanel) — double-click it to open it. This is where all your website files live. You will see files ending in .html, .css, .js and folders for images.

Part 4 — How to edit a file and save it back

You will follow these same four steps every single time you need to edit a file on your website. Memorise this process — it never changes.

1. 1 Download the file to your computer In FileZilla, find the file the tutorial tells you to edit. Right-click it and choose Download. The file will appear in the left panel (your computer). Make a note of exactly which folder on your computer it saved to — usually your Desktop or Downloads folder.
2. 2 Open the file in Notepad++ Open Notepad++. Go to File → Open at the top menu. Find the file you just downloaded and click Open. The code will appear in the editor. It might look confusing at first — that is completely normal. The tutorial will tell you exactly what to find and what to change.
3. 3 Make your changes and save Follow the tutorial instructions to make your changes. When done, press Ctrl + S on your keyboard to save the file. The tab at the top of Notepad++ will stop showing a red dot when it is saved.
4. 4 Upload the file back to your server Go back to FileZilla. Find the file on the left panel (your computer). Right-click it and choose Upload. FileZilla will ask if you want to overwrite the existing file — click OK or Overwrite. Your changes are now live on your website.