The Importance of a Great Title (and How to Craft the Perfect One!)

The Importance of a Great Title

What if I told you that a great blog post title could lead to more views and more shares? It’s so easy to just slap any old headline onto a post and call it a day, but when you really take the time to perfect your title, it could be the difference between achieving more organic reach or getting lost in the feed.

Your post title accounts for the majority of your search engine hits as well. When users are searching for a certain phrase or keyword, guess which results are going to appear at the very top? That’s right — the ones that include those phrases or keywords in their title.

So, with such importance riding on what you decide to name your post, how can you be sure to create the perfect headline and encourage traffic at the same time?

Have it solve a problem

People are always looking for articles that solve a problem or tell them how to do something. Think about how many times you’ve personally started your Google search request with “how to…” and imagine that others are looking for information about the exact topic you’ve chosen. What would you search for if you were trying to find a post like yours? Have your title lead up to an answer that will be shared in the article and let the visitor know what they’re going to get out of it before they even start reading.

Make sure it grabs attention

I know there are times that you’ve come across a headline and clicked on it just to see what the post was about. Facebook is full of these types of shares.  The “you’ll never guess what happened next!” click-bait articles are a dime a dozen, but they work!  You can create an attention-grabbing title in a variety of ways. One way is to play on a visitor’s emotional triggers and their FOMO – Fear Of Missing Out. If there is something new and interesting happening, people generally want to be in the know. Here are some examples that could make for some great attention grabbing titles that incorporate a sense of urgency and necessity:

  • Why you need to…
  • What you must know about…
  • What you probably believe about ___ , but shouldn’t!
  • Life changing tips for…
  • The ultimate guide to…
  • What you should never do/say… (relate it to your topic)
  • What most professionals get wrong about… (relate it to your profession/niche)

Make it specific

If you want people to click on your link or share your post, you’re going to have to get specific. A mistake a lot of writers make is not telling the reader exactly what their article is about straight away. It might seem obvious, but I’ve seen a ton of great posts with cutesy non-related titles that just aren’t getting the love they deserve. If you want shares, you’re going to have to spell it out. Tell the reader what the post is about and why they should click on it right in the headline!

Use keywords

Keywords can help boost your posts in search engines, but only if they’re used correctly. If you’re writing a post about a new iPad, you’re going to have to get a little more creative with your choice of keywords unless you want to blend in with every other search result about iPads. Instead of constantly striving to please the search robots, aim to make your titles make sense to humans in a simple way. What is it about iPads that you’re writing about, and what words stand out to describe the topic? Keeping it specific as we talked about above should help you come up with some related keywords that accurately describe your post.

Be controversial

Every now and then, it’s fun to stir up a little controversy. Posts that share your opinion on a subject are perfect for controversial post titles because they immediately stir up an emotion in the reader before they even read the body of the article. This is a time where you can be funny with your headline. Be bold, be angry, be upset, be political.  Be something that evokes a feeling and makes people want to click to read what you have to say.

No matter which method you use, taking your headline seriously is something that shouldn’t be overlooked! Try experimenting with different ideas and track your views so you know what’s working and what’s not.

If you want to learn more amazing blogging tips and boost visits, sign up for my Get Noticed course today! (Take $40 off with code WONDER)

 

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By Dana Fox

Founder of the Wonder Forest blog and brand and bestselling author of the Watercolor With Me book series.

1 comment

  1. This was exactly what I needed! I have the most difficulty with figuring out clencher Titles for my post. I appreciate the post so much! Thank you :3

    -Tia | retouchingblog.com

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