No matter what you’re writing, whether it’s a blog post, a college paper, or a novel, figuring out the title is the hardest part.
Now we aren’t talking about the easy titles. The ones that are barely more than a vague, broad topic listing that a potential reader is going to just scroll past or (in the case of a book) ignore on the shelf.
Click Rate (n): the percentage of people visiting a web page who access a hypertext link to a particular advertisement.
We’re talking about good titles. The ones that will grab your reader and make them think “Hey! That sounds extremely interesting, I want to read that!” or “Hey! They know the answer to my question! I need to read this.” Those titles are extremely hard to come up with and take some serious thought as well as external input.
Today we’re going to give you some tips on how to write blog titles that catch your reader’s attention as well as promote a better click through rate, increasing traffic.
Titles are one of the most important parts of any written work. The title is, in most situations, the first thing that a person sees. The title also helps search engines figure out whether your post is applicable to a given search.
Making sure that you have a title that’s both engaging and search able is one of the most important parts of writing.
1) Use numbers
Anyone who has ever used social media has heard of Buzzfeed. And one of the things that makes so many of their posts popular is the list format.
People love lists. They give you very clear points to look at and clear ways to take action. It’s also easy to read because you can get basic useful information without reading the explanation. Are you even reading this part right now?
2) Make it clear
Don’t confuse your readers. You need to make sure that they have an idea of what to expect from your post. Titles that are too long will bore the readers, but titles that are too short won’t be able to adequately explain what the post is about.
3) Make it interesting
Your title has to be attention grabbing. There is so much information out there, and the title is the first thing your readers see. If your title isn’t interesting to them, most likely they’re not going to even open the post.
4) Let others look at it
Even if you think your title is foolproof, check it by someone else first. Having fresh eyes on the blog and the title can help you both work together to come up with an even better title than the initial one.
5) Research Keywords
Keywords for your topic will help improve your post’s SEO (search engine optimization). In short, this means your post will be more visible in search engines like Google and Yahoo. For more information on SEO click here!
6) Deliver what you say you’re going to deliver
Nothing breaks faith in a brand like false promises. You need to make your title eye-catching, but you have to make sure that you are writing about what’s in the title. Ever read a blog post that had nothing to do with the title? Yeah, it’s annoying. If it annoys you, imagine how annoyed your readers will be. You’ll lose readers, you’ll lose traffic, it’s just bad all around.
7) Use phrases like “how to” and “why”
Human beings are curious creatures. We’re also very resourceful. Relevant tutorials are always a valuable resource and a great way to generate traffic, but using “how to” makes them easily searchable. “Why” is also an often searched term, which makes it great to use as part of a title.
8) Make it actionable
While there are people who are interested in just reading blog posts, people want to know what your information will do for them. What kind of action can the reader take using your information? Is it clear from the title?
9) Don’t give everything away
Mystery is an important part of the title. You want to give readers enough information to hook them, but you don’t want them to get the answer without even reading your post. Your blog is intended to give the reader specific information, but in return you get traffic to your site. It’s a trade. And if you don’t promote click through, you don’t get your benefits.
10) Research, Research, Research
Further Reading
Look for posts that are similar to yours that are high performing. Use some similar titling methods. Research keywords. Research even more tips for blog posts.
When you write a blog post, you should spend more time researching than you do writing. Same with titles. Research is the most important part.
Basically, when you’re writing a title for your blog post, you want to tailor it for SEO and high clickthrough rates. SEO and clickthrough are what bring readers to your page, and ultimately your site.