So, you are a blogger. You deliver high-quality content to your readers, conduct in-depth researches and do your best to create blog posts that matter.
However, you cannot clearly understand why your posts do not drive enough traffic, social shares and engagement.
There might be several answers to this, but one of the most probable ones is that your post title did not draw readers’ attention, so they simply ignored the whole piece altogether.
Your post might be viewed as one of those 2 million other posts created daily.
But, MOZ state, that you can increase the traffic based on your headlines. The problem is that around 80% of people never even get to your article, they simply scan the headline and decide whether or not they are interested in the content. And only two out of ten people will read the whole piece.
So, your task is to learn how to catch readers’ attention with an interesting blog post and make them go past the headline into the core and essence of the writing.
Wondering how you can do that?
Check out our recommendation.
8 things to help you improve your article’s headline
Use the keyword.
What makes some of your articles appear at the top of the search result pages while others seem to be just as creative but they never make it to the top? The answer is in keywords.
Search engines define whether or not your writing is topical to the readers today, and that is why you need to do your homework here.
First of all, make sure that you use technologies for this task. Among a vast number of choices you have, consider using KeywordSpy, Keyword.io, Keyword Planner, SECockpit, or KeywordTool. All of these instruments can help you identify what users search for most frequently.
Save the results by these tools and see how you can harmoniously fit them into your headlines. Remember that it is better to use long-tail keywords, as the competition for short ones is way too high.
Keep it short.
Another factor that you need to remember when thinking about effective headlines is that the shorter the title is, the higher it is ranked by the search engines. Moreover, headlines that are longer than 55 symbols will be cut by Google anyway.
Therefore, if you want your title to be read and not cut, consider using 55 symbols as a landmark.
Make it unique.
However, the problem with short headlines is that it is hard to keep them unique. It seems like all the ways to put it short has already been used before you.
Yet, you will have to try a little harder, as headlines that are not qualified as “unique” by search engines will not get to the top of the search results pages. So, take some time when working on this part.
The headline must explain the content of a post.
If you create an incredible piece of writing, but the headline you create for it is stuffed with keywords that are not related to the main message, you only increase the bounce rate for your website. And that will do no good to your SE ranking.
That is why sometimes you might even want to sacrifice the keywords (if you cannot find more relevant ones) for the sake of the post’s headline relevance.
Use the “power” words.
According to the SmartBlogger, there are at least 317 power words that instantly make you a better writer. We believe that one must use these words in the titles to make the go viral.
These words stimulate emotions, and that means that people get more emotionally involved and interested in what you are writing.
It is thanks to these words that you stand out of the crowd and become an authentic and excellent writer people will come back again and again.
The examples of the power words are agony, looming, toxic, daring, wondrous, sleazy, and force-fed. You can find all of them in an article by Jon Morrow. No matter what types of essays you are working on, they can be of much help to you here.
Use active voice.It is better if everything you say addresses the users directly. It makes the writing personal, so users are more likely to get more engaged in communication with the author.
Besides, such approach makes your sound more real and shows that the person behind the scenes is real and is talking to you. Would not you respond to that?
Mention numbers.
For many reasons, readers love seeing numbers in the headlines. For one thing, numbers promise that they will get something real and specific instead of a vague explanation of a complicated issue in an even more complicated way.
Besides, reading a text with different numbers and statistics is significantly easier for the eyes, as when you skim through the text, you get numbers to set your mind on. And also, those who read very fast like to have figures in the articles, as they turn a long canvas of words and letters into distinctive pieces.
Offer tips.
Most people go online when looking for answers.
Therefore, to be relevant to them, your posts should start with a solution to a specific problem. That is when articles starting with “How to” and “Why” work wonders for you. Consider giving instructions, sharing your experience and providing insights – and you will see how the traffic on your site grows!
Creating a powerful headline is a task not everyone blogger can deal with easily. It seems like it is not as important as the content of the article, but in reality, the search engines evaluate the titles and base your page’s ranking on them.
So, do not blow a chance to make your blog known with catchy headlines. You can share how your headlines look like now after applying our tips in the comments section. We would love to see what you got in the end! So, do not hesitate to share!