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How do I write good blog titles?
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Do questions make good blog titles?
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Are my blog titles too boring?
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SEO vs. Creativity?
Every writer/blogger is faced with these questions. In a world where your blog titles are the difference between your readers skipping your blog or clicking the link to revel in your infinite wisdom, mastering the art of writing good blog titles is imperative.
Are good blog titles important?
On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent 80 cents out of your dollar. – David Ogilvy
- Titles are the first things that show up in search results. 9 out of 10 times, they decide if the reader clicks your blog link.
- They can engage your customer to within a few moments.
- Search Engines determine what your website is about from your page titles.
- They hugely contribute to your SEO, thereby making your blog more findable.
Here are my
8 Simple Tips on How to Write Good Blog Titles
Tip #01
Make Sure it's Relevant.
Your title is a promise to the reader. They click your blog title link hoping to find useful information. Your title should accurately describe what the reader will find in the body of the blog. The meta description should support the blog title. Do not mislead. Do not annoy.
With regard to SEO, an unhappy reader will hit the ‘Back’ button and up your bounce rate, thereby reducing your website ranking.
Tip #02
Be Creative. Be Original.
A unique title will present the reader with a pleasant surprise in an otherwise boring list of titles in his search results. It is an easy way to stand out and grab the reader’s attention. Your blog titles should ideally be a balance between creativity and SEO.
Tip #03
Brevity - Keep it short. Keep it simple.
Your blog title should typically be between 6-8 words, an ideal title can be read with just a single glance. When you share your content on social networks or when it appears in the search results, your readers should find the entire title instead of half cut words.
Tip #04
Include Keywords - Optimize for Search and Social Media
Creativity is for the human readers to click the blog title, keywords are what will help search engines know what’s in your blog. Keywords also help the reader know the subject of the blog.
Make sure you keep just 1-2 keywords.
You can use the formula
<Number> – <tips/tricks> – to – <adjective> – <promise> – <keywords>
An example would be
8 – Simple Tips -on How to – Write – a Good – Blog Titles
Tip #05
Intrigue the Reader - pose a question.
Questions make great blog titles. They introduce the element of curiosity. Suggest to the reader that there is something to look forward to after clicking the title.
Tip #06
DO NOT COPY SOMEONE ELSE'S TITLE.
The internet is filled with hundreds of similar titles, always perform a search before you freeze a title. If there’s already an article named ‘Marketing Tips’, you should probably reconsider the title or change the order of the words to ‘7 Simple Tips for Successful Marketing’.
This Improves your ranking and also makes you distinguishable.
Tip #07
Make sure you answer the 'Why' or 'So what' question.
Always address the question ‘Why’. Why should a reader read your blog? Why is it more preferred than someone else’s blog? For example, this blog could have been named ‘Guide to writing blog titles‘, But that does not answer the question Why should I read it?
Examining the name ‘8 Simple Tips on How to Write Good Blog Titles’,
Why should I read it? So I can Write Good Blog Titles.
Tip #08
Write at least 3 versions of your headline.
You might not always have the best version on your first attempt. I generally write 3 version of my title, listen to myself say the 3 titles and choose the one I would click among the 3. If you’re not sure which one you’d click, use the process of elimination and remove the ones you wouldn’t click until you’re left with 1 title.
Please let us know what you think of our blog title tips. I’m sure you might have a few tips of your own, please feel free to share them in the comments section.