Writing a blog post is not an easy task. From its length to its written content, a successful blog post is highly dependent on a myriad of key factors that helps it rank on search engines. However, there’s always one thing that content writers tend to overlook: headlines.
Headlines are the lifeforce of a blog post, webpage, and landing pages. When you carefully choose a title for your blog post, you also determine how well it sells on search engines, email, and social platforms. Headlines are what make or break your blog as it’s the first copy your readers see before they click on to read more (or not!).
Meghan Keaney Anderson from Hubspot emphasizes this, writing that “if there is one consistent finding in landing page testing, it’s that headlines play one of the most crucial parts in conversion. A good headline pulls readers in to learn more while a bad headline fails to resonate and loses readers instantly.” As such, you need to ensure that your headlines communicate your blog’s idea or topic efficiently so that it attracts readers and leads to potential conversions.
Like many blog posts, crafting the perfect headline is not a walk in the park. It can be difficult to decide what you want your blog to communicate while holding on to your reader’s attention. You may also be unsure with the length of your blog headlines and the best words to use. Fortunately, we’ve summed up the best ways to write an eye-catching blog headline that brings in readers.
1. Start with a working title.
Before you start choosing a headline, it’s a good idea to pick a working title first. Working titles allow you to specify the topic being discussed in your blog post. Topics are usually very general and many content writers use this to their advantage. How? These topics often expanded across various blog posts, which is why there are often related articles suggested to the reader.
With a working title, you guide the process of your blog post because you have the topic there at hand. Your working title does not need to be perfect. In fact, as you continue writing your blog, you may find a piece of information that will lead you to alter the blog’s content so don’t worry about making it clickable for now.
2. Keep it short and simple.
Headlines always vary between short and long lengths. It all depends on what your objectives are with your blog post. If you want your blog to rank well on search engines, for example, you must keep the title under 70 characters, especially if you’re using a CMS platform like WordPress. Otherwise, it will get cut off on search engines.
When you’re optimizing your blog post for social media, it’s highly recommended to keep headlines anywhere between 8-12 words or 12-14 words in length, depending on the social platform you’re using, according to Hubspot. Other studies also show that headlines with 8 words receive higher clickthrough rates than other title lengths. Based on these findings, you will need to run a few tests to see what works for your particular audience.
3. Use specific numbers or data.
Incorporating numbers and data into a headline helps make it pop to readers. Some research studies have suggested that headlines with numbers generate 73% more social shares than those without. People are generally more receptive towards numbers and data, which is why there’s a higher tendency to see blog headlines with numbers in them.
Another important factor that many marketers should look into is odd numbers. Many popular blog posts have odd numbers in the headlines. There’s a fascinating reason behind this strange choice that numerous content writers and copywriters make. According to the Content Marketing Institute, the brain seems to think that odd numbers are more believable than even numbers. When finalizing your blog headline, make sure to use the numeral form of a number rather than the word to take advantage of this feature.
4. Make the title pop.
Your blog headline may be accurate, but that doesn’t mean it’s interesting enough to garner a click. There are various ways you can make your headline enticing to your audience. Consider your target readers for a moment, and decide what tone and language to use that will best resonate with them. Once you find the best style for your audience, try using a few writing tricks to make your headline pop. Alliteration, for example, is a lovely writing device that uses the same letter or sound between two words to create eye-catching headlines.
You can also use strong language to embellish or create a sense of urgency such as “7 Things Readers Hate.” Strong language and writing devices should only be used occasionally. If you oversaturate your headlines with clever alliteration or other writing tips, it may burn out some of the magic. Think about your audience and what intrigues them.
5. Optimize title for search engines.
When it comes to optimizing your blog headline, keep this one rule in mind: don’t overdo it. It’s true that optimizing your title for search engines can boost up your rankings but overdoing can cause your title to come out a bit strange. Instead, focus on your audience and the keywords they’re searching for.
Research the search volume and find any relevant words or phrases that you can use. Once you have a chosen keyword, make sure to place it at the beginning of your headline. This placing can help catch your reader’s attention within seconds of reading your headline.
Due to the volume of blog posts created daily, it’s important for content writers to take into consideration all key parts of a single blog post, especially the blog’s title. Note that while “eight out of 10 people will read headline copy, but only two out of 10 will read the rest,” as researched by Inc.com. The title is an integral element of your blog that helps drive people to read an article that may be valuable to them and whatever problem they have. When combined with a blog’s introduction, subheadings, and body, a blog can help boost website traffic and secure leads. It can even cement you and your brand as a leading figure in a respective industry. Just remember to be consistent and use relevant data to achieve your desired objectives.