What’s in a title? Well, when it comes to a blog post, the answer is ‘a lot’. Blogging is as relevant in 2019 as it ever was, with more and more businesses choosing a consistent blog as a prime marketing tool. But writing great content is one thing, while reaching your audience is quite another. Simply coming up with great copy doesn’t ensure you’ll get it read. For that, you’ll need to create an eye-catching, enticing title that leaves people with no choice but to click into the full post. Make no mistake – titles sell content.
So how exactly do they do that? And how can you sculpt your titles to better promote your business and brand? First of all, the vast majority of people access the internet through the gateway of search engines. The title of your post is essentially what represents it (and you) in search engine terms, as well as in emails and on social media. Therefore, it not only has to be dynamic and original, it has to be pertinent to the content about which you’re writing. This might seem obvious, but it’s definitely worth keeping in mind. Crafting something that is both engaging and practical is the key to successful blog titles.
So how can you achieve this? Well, one technique is to ask or answer a question through your title. Phrasing titles as questions will naturally entice curiosity (you’re reading this post, aren’t you?!), as well as providing the most relevance to popular search terms or phrases. Similarly, titles posited as answers to questions might easily show up in search results and quickly grab the attention of the person searching. A surefire way to feature your work in results is to employ SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), a technique that involves utilising keywords and key phrases (known as long-tail keywords) within the title to enhance the prevalence of your content in popular search engines.
So, would a title by any other name smell as sweet? Even Shakespeare must have mulled over a few of his play names, so if you’re an e-commerce business looking for SEO success then take a note from the Bard and put a little time and effort into creating the best blog post title.
When using SEO, the trick is to start with the word or phrase and work backwards from there. It’s usually best to place the keyword at the front and formulate the rest of the title around what you’ve chosen to focus on. Remember, accuracy in your titles is just as crucial as your SEO; putting the keyword or phrase in won’t automatically guarantee you an audience. You still have to make the effort to target a specific viewership. For some final tips, just remember the rules of strong copy. Use alliteration when you can, make it visualisable if possible, utilise strong language and don’t forget to have some fun…you don’t want your title to sound as if it was written by a robot.
Creating the best blog post title is tough, there’s no doubt about it. However, by sticking to the basic principles in mind and applying a little practice, you’ll get the hang of it in no time. Try coming up with a few options and testing them out on friends and colleagues before you settle on the final title; this will help you to get a good grasp of what works and what doesn’t!
Featured Image by StockSnap on Pixabay.
Centre Image by Ivan Jevtic on Unsplash..
