Rachel
Blog post titles can make or break the amount of traffic that comes to your website. A blog post title that does not grab the reader’s attention can easily be overlooked; this means less traffic visiting your website. And the click-through rate is higher.
This is detrimental to an online business. Online businesses need high volumes of traffic in order to make the most money, and blog post titles can determine just how much traffic your website will attract.
So how can you create the best post titles to make sure that traffic comes toward your website instead of away from it? Here are some tips and tricks to creating a great blog title.
Write the Post First
If you know what you are going to write about, then write the post first and decide the post later. You may have a post title in mind before you write the post and then realize another post title fits better. Don’t limit or restrict yourself from writing a post in order to fit the parameters of the blog post title. You may easily skimp out on valuable information because you feel the post has to fit the title. Write the post first and then write a title that fits.
Know Your Audience and Your Content
Make sure that you know who your target audience is before writing the title. What are they looking for? Why would they want to read this post? What is this post offering that others may not? When you write great content on a niche topic, the title may come naturally.
Types of Post Titles
There are many types of post titles, and one of those has been used in this post title! We have used the “How To” title in this post to tell readers that this post will tell them how to do something.
How To
This is by far one of the most clicked blog post titles when users are performing a keyword search. When users are using a search engine to find information, many times they need to know how to do something. Take this blog post as an example. You are reading this because you need to know how to create the best post titles for your website. “How To” blog posts are effective and easy.
Numbers
“10 Reasons Post Titles are Important” is another type of title you can use. Many readers want to know that they won’t be reading through pages and pages of information to find what they are looking for. By giving readers a designated number of points to read through, they will be more likely to visit the blog post to find the answer they were searching for.
Many think that odd numbers fare better in titles than even numbers. Give both a try and see what you think.
Secret/Curiosity
“The Secret to Writing the Best Post Titles” or “Did You Know These Tips are the Key to Creating the Best Post Titles?” Titles like these will spike readers’ curiosity and make them feel like they are accessing information that others do not know about.
Negatives
Using negative words in post titles will jump out at readers and increase the likelihood they will click on the post. For example in this post title, “Stop Making this Mistake When Creating a Post Title,” there is a greater chance the reader will click this post to find out if they are making the same mistake listed in the post.
Keywords
One of the best ways to tell users what the article is about is by incorporating the post’s keyword into the title. A reader will typically use a keyword in the search bar of a search engine, so one of the best ways to send readers to your post is by using this keyword in the post title.
For example, if someone typed, “Create a Post Title” into a Google search and your post is titled, “Create the Perfect Post Title,” there is a greater chance the reader will choose your post because it pertains directly to the keywords they used when searching.
Guide
Readers who are searching for an answer to a specific question may be drawn to a post title indicating the post is a guide. “The Ultimate Guide to Creating the Perfect Post Title,” tells readers that this post contains a step-by-step guide to creating a perfect post title for their website. This makes the user feel there will be less time wasted siphoning through useless information and more time spent following these foolproof directions.
VS.
Sometimes readers want to read about comparisons. If your website is selling a product or an idea, there is a good chance there is a comparable product or idea similar to your website.
In this example, we will use post titles again. “Post Titles vs. Blog Posts: Which is More Important?” This post title tells readers that both the title of the post as well as the body of the post will be discussed and compared to determine which one is the most important.
Easy Adjectives
Readers do not want to feel like the solution to their problem is complicated, so create a post title that makes them feel at ease. A post entitled, “A Quick Way to Write Effective Blog Posts,” will make users feel like less time will be spent reading through a wordy blog post and more time will be spent applying this solution to their problem. Other examples of easy adjectives include, “simple,” “painless,” and “useful.”
Less is More
The last example of post titles is the short and sweet, less is more approach. Readers who come across a wordy headline may feel that the wordy title is foreshadowing a wordy blog post. Instead, use a post title of six words or less to get straight to the point. “Tips to Creating Powerful Post Titles,” is a direct title that tells users exactly what the blog post will entail.
Catchy
Catchy headlines and blog titles will intrigue the consumer. Stick to known words, saying or phrases. A good title with great content will keep customers coming back for more.
Unique
Pay attention to other titles or headlines. Although it may be difficult to be the ‘first’ to write about a topic, type in the title you want into a search engine and run the results. If there are already numerous titles with the same name, then it is time to switch it up.
Great Post Titles Generate Traffic
Take your time when creating the title for your post. The post title is the first headline readers will see, so it is imperative that the headline draws them in. As we mentioned, a blog post title can make it or break it when it comes to a reader clicking the link to read the post, so the title has to be perfect.
Writing the blog post first before writing the title can make the difference in creating a mediocre blog post title and an attention-grabbing captivating blog post title. Spend some time really brainstorming the title for the post. After all, the reader will not read the content of the post if the title turns them away.