Did you know that catchy blog titles play a huge role driving traffic to your website?
Yes, it’s simply not enough to write an amazing post and assume that audiences will be drawn to that. So stop, take a moment, and get revved into writing titles that capture eyeballs and demand to be clicked! Here are a few tips for writing titles that really work, with examples.
- Identify your audience
First, identify your ideal customer. Once you’re crystal clear on whom you’re talking to, your blog post will be directed to their specific interests and needs, and will grab their attention. Else, it could turn into a dull post that meanders without making a point or serving anyone’s purpose.
For example, a blog title that says “The complete website launch checklist for entrepreneurs” immediately piques the interest of entrepreneurs, who are your target audience.
- Use a keyword in your title
SEO works. So think about what people are searching for, and how they search, and then incorporate that search term within your title. You could use Google’s Keyword Planner to identify the most popular keywords related to your topic. Of course, it goes without saying that your keyword should fit seamlessly into your title and not appear forced in there.
- Solve a problem and focus on the benefit
Does the post you have written solve a problem for your audience? While this might seem more about content than the actual title itself, the fact is that when your post solves a particular problem for your ideal customer, your title will practically write itself. Take the previous example itself. “The complete website launch checklist for entrepreneurs” quite simply explains what problem is being solved, and for whom.
Ask yourself this:
– What do my readers require help with?
– How will my post help them?
Then weave your words to answer these questions in your post, and you won’t have any difficulty writing a relevant, catchy title for your blog post.
For most people, knowing the ‘why’ is very important. People want to know why they should click on your article, and what they will gain from investing time in your blog post. Let’s take the same example: “The complete website launch checklist for entrepreneurs”. It’s missing the ‘why’. What if we change this to: “The complete website launch checklist for entrepreneurs for an effective website”. Now that I’ve added the missing ‘why’, it’s definitely worth a click, isn’t it?
- What to include in your title
People search Google for how to do something specific, so using ‘how to’ in your title helps. It will attract search engines, and make your post more discoverable.
Numbers are natural attention grabbers, so you could start your title with a number. Numbers also make the article sound easier and faster to read. When writing numbers, write the numerical instead of the word.
- Keep it short and sexy
Keep your title under 70 characters because that’s around where Google cuts it off in search results. Use a length counter if you have doubts about the ones you’re using. Your blog title is best when crisp and catchy, yet effectively conveys an idea of the blog content.
A confident, attractive title will also invite more clicks than one which sounds boring and uninspired. For example, “5 Badass strategies to increasing your Instagram following” is definitely more enticing than “5 Ways to increase your Instagram following”. You know which one you’ll be clicking!
Now that you have the tips, check out a few examples of catchy blog titles.
- How to ______ in 10 easy steps
- Beginner’s guide to _________
- Things you need to do to start ________
- The ultimate checklist for ______
- _____ ways to ______
- Things you need to know about ____
- _____ tips for _____
You’ll find more examples in this great article we were inspired by.
Once you’ve decided on a catchy title for your blog post, take a moment to check if everything’s in order before your post goes live. Here’s a checklist you could use.
At Them You & Me, we help you increase visibility in online searches through optimized content. If you’d like to know more about, or want some help writing blog post titles that really work, get in touch!
