blog headline
If you don’t spend the time getting your headline right, then you may as well not bother writing the article!
People always skim headings, and if your headline is not strong enough to capture their attention right from the word go, then they could be lost!
“On average, 8 out of 10 people will read headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest.”.
That’s a pretty scary ratio and one which really should be given more thought. Do you think it’s worth sweeping this under the carpet or actually giving it the attention that it deserves?
A blog headline is made up of only a few words, but those few words can be far more important than the 1,000 in your blog post.
Of course, I am not saying that you can write absolute rubbish, but you should be aiming for a KILLER HEADLINE as well as killer content.
1. Let Your Readers Know What To Expect
Your blog headline is the one thing that tells your readers what the content is about and what they will learn from you. You need to excite your readers enough to click on your content.
In a nutshell, you should be concentrating on two things:
1. What is your post about?
2. What message are you trying to convey?
For example, take a look at these two headlines:
“10 Ways To Improve Your SEO”
“Using SEO In Your Blog Post”.
The first headline is attention-grabbing because it promises you something. If you are struggling with SEO, it is likely you will want to click on this title.
The second headline explains what the article is about, but does little to entice you to read on.
2. Be Concise
You don’t have a lot of words to play around with within a blog headline, so you really need to get to the point sharpish. A long-winded headline will not attract readers and you really don’t want to bore them before they have even finished reading the title!
Headlines with 8 words or less are more likely to capture people’s attention. You need to give enough to entice your readers but without going overboard and writing a paragraph.
Likewise, you don’t want to write a headline that is too short. For example, if you were writing about SEO, you would not simply write “SEO”.
What does this mean….SEO what?
Are you telling me how to undertake SEO?
Are you talking about the important aspects of SEO?
Are you talking about how to set up your blog effectively for SEO?
This headline tells you nothing about the post or why you should read on.
3. Include A Keyword
Including a keyword in your blog headline is important for SEO purposes. The headline will be in the URL of your post and this is what will help search engines to rank your page.
Headlines can be very important for gaining traffic from the search engines, so including a keyword is essential.
Make a point of actually thinking about your headline, before you hit publish! Give your headline the time and attention it deserves because this is what will be bringing readers to your post.
Ignore your headline and people will most certainly ignore your post! Keep your headline short and to the point and make it a statement that people are really going to want to connect with.
Summary of What Makes An Awesome Blog Headline
An awesome blog headline will bring readers to your post and excite their curiosity. In order to write an awesome headline you should ensure the following;
* You include no more than 10 words
* It immediately captures the reader’s attention
* It makes your reader want to know more
* You make a promise of providing value
* It explains what your post content is about
* It is relevant to the subject post
If you are not happy with your blog headline, then simply don’t publish it.
If your headline would not make YOU want to click on it, the chances are that other people won’t either.
Keep changing it up until you find one that GRABS YOUR ATTENTION.
How much thought do you give to your blog headline?
Do you have any great headline tips?
Please share your thoughts with us below.