You put a
lot of time and effort into creating a blog, right? But, how much time do you
put into creating its title? Not much, right? This is one point that many
writers overlook. But, what they fail to understand is that the title is the
most important factor that may decide the click-through rate (CTR) of a page.
If the title is compelling, it increases the CTR. Similarly, a dull and boring
title will have lower CTR, even if the content is inspiring and well-written. A
title is the first part of content that is exposed to the visitors. It is one
reason a visitor will be attracted towards the page or pushed away from it.
Even the best articles are left unread if the title is not compelling. Here are
a few ways that can help in creating fantastic and attractive titles.
Create working titles
It is
obvious that you won’t come up with a killer title at once. It is going to take
a lot of thinking, a lot many tweaks and adjustments before you come up with
the final statement. So, start with putting down a working title first –
something that generally combines the entire article into one statement. Don’t
worry about the words put in at first. After many changes, the final product
you get will mean the same, just in a more appealing way. You can even pen down
multiple working titles on your way towards the final one.
Keyword research
You need to
do a bit of keyword research. Use tools like Google’s Keyword Planner to do
some research. Check for which alternatives and search terms are available for
the keywords used in your article. Use any of those words you find in your
title because they will be having a good amount of search engine relevancy. If
this is something that you don’t understand, consult an Online Marketing Company to do this job in the most effective way
for you.
Use strong words
Focus on
creating titles that attract people. You should find out what your target
audience is interested in and accordingly, use the words that would have them
curious to read what you have to offer in the content. Use strong words that
emotionally connect with the readers so that they have them considering your
page.
Make it interesting
There are
two ways to say a thing – one, saying it straightforward and blunt; second,
saying the same thing in a fancy and interesting way. Instead of keeping the
title simple and up-front, modify it in a way that it compels the readers to
find out more from you. Give your boring title a little extra zing by adding a
few words that would surprise the users or would want to know what you have to
say that they do not know yet.
Keep it Short
Make sure
your title is short and catchy. Try to have a title that is between 50 to 60
characters or 70 to the max. A short title grabs the attention of readers and
helps them read it in two seconds or less, which gets them interested. On a
search results page, readers are attracted towards shorter titles rather than
longer boring ones.
Provide a list
Internet
users often like to read lists because it gets easy and interesting to read.
Create your content in the form of points and tell the readers to expect a list
on your page. Whether it is top 10, top 20, top 50 or even top 100, users will
like it that way. You can also play with numbers like providing 51 points
instead of 50 and 99 or 101 points instead of 100 to create more interest.
Ask a question
Convert
your title into a question if possible. Readers have questions in their minds
when they are searching for something. So, a question in your title provides
better connectivity with the readers. Can you see the title of this article
phrased as a question? Maybe this was the exact same question you had in mind
while you were searching for this article. This will help you connect better
with the blog.
Remember
that titles serve as gatekeepers. However great your content is, visitors will
never end up reading your blog if you don’t have an attractive title. So, spend
some quality time in creating a good title too along with great content.
