A blog headline is one of the most important parts of any website. Without an attractive blog headline, you won’t get enough traffic to your blog. This means, since the number of blogs is increasing around the world, readers became selective. And by creating a mediocre title, you won’t get the attention you deserve. This, however, does not mean to spam a post to get clicks.
The idea of clickbait became a trend in many websites today. Clickbait is a spot for attention and you will never find what you were promised once you get there.
This is frustrating for many smart marketers and especially for readers.
Most posts are a waste of time or a cover without a book to back it up. The headlines on websites such as bored panda or BuzzFeed are usually clickbait. These websites once used to get a lot of traffic with this wise method of traffic.
Through time these websites needed to update their content as well, and don’t look an ass for visitors.
Many blogs these days are filling their footsteps, caring more on the blog headline, and not on the blog content.
Blog headline is a great way to attract mor clicks. In this age, it is not about who is speaking, it is about who is being listened. To get attention, you need to work harder than the rest of the crowd, to differentiate yourself and even bribe people to come to your website.
Blog headline is therefore the most useful part of your blog. Without a good blog headline, your blog may not have a reader at all.
Here I will show you the principles of good blog headlines, examples of good blog headline and the process of getting at a blog headline.
A Blog Headline: The Principles
1-Start with what people want
There is not time to reinvent the problem. Don’t give a water for someone who begs for a sweet. You need to know what the audience is looking for and give them exactly what they desire. With that you save time and money, and sell more.
When people come to google, they surely will find few hundreds of pages with similar promise of what they are looking for.
Even, if you look further in to google you will find a blog page that is much similar to this one.
There are hundred of suppliers that re looking for readers. And you are one of them.
If that is the case, you need to understand what people are asking on the search engines.
2- Use Their Language
Blog headline should not be too professional or too formal. You need to ignore the urge to use scientific words or words that people put into search engines.
This process needs a more refined understanding of the problem that the reader has.
This helps you to use exactly same phrases as the reader.
3-Use WH questions
Questions are the basic for the blog headline. People usually as for response using WH questions. It may seem irrational to ask a question on google rather than putting keywords. But that is how people are looking for answers on searching engines.
A person with sleep problem will probably ask ‘why do I have sleep problem?’ or why don’t I sleep even if I am tired? Or ‘what is insomnia?’
Questions make a good headline.
4-Listicles are the best
Listicle websites get a lot of traffic. People don’t have time to read the whole script so they need a summary or abridged version.
IT is your responsibility to give them the basics of what ever is you are writing without taking their time. Listicles come here as a saviour. Instead of writing the history of France after 1600, you may need to write the 15 stages France passed since 1600.
The second topic is probably more attractive because it outlines the post and present it in a simple 15 stages rather than one whole essay.
Listicles are also fun.
’10 countries that have no snow’ or ’20 weird people that existed in the world.’ These are fun to read titles. These are what comes to your mind, sometimes. These are what you want to know even if they seem useless.
Listicles also gives a simple mind map. 10 steps to lose 15 pounds in 2 months is a much simple way of communication.
People are looking for solution and listicles provide them in a simple format.
Make Them Short
Blog headline should be refined and shorter. This is useful for two reason. First, sort blog headline fits in the google search box.
The ideal blog post title length is about 60 characters.
Second, short blog headlines much more comprehendible than the long ones. This means the longer the blog headline, the much attention it needs. You may lose many visitors for not communicating in a simple manner. Too short is also a challenge as it may seem lazy or may not communicate the whole concept of the post.
Use Numbers
Numbers has become a trend in recent SEO efforts to rank your website. Numbers seem to attract more clicks as these also create a map for the reader on what to expect.
10 foods to help you lose weight is probably better than foods that help you lose weight. A single number creates a curiosity for the reader to click and read.
As an audience I would ask, ten? Why ten? Did I try it before? I want to know if I already know them.
Numbers are also viral. People like sharing data to look believable or legit. Numbers are professional.
Use A Blog Headline Resources
This are the few resources I use to come up with a good blog headline. These resources are by no means the only ways to find a good blog headline. This is the best that I found to come up with a blog headline. These resources are free, and these may seem easy, so it is expected to ignore them without second thought.
In reality, these resources will give you a general idea of what your audience might be looking for and these will help you to refine your blog head line in to short 60 characters.
The first website you need to use is answer the public. This simple platform will give you results based on what people search on search engines. It simply coins words with your keyword and provide you a possible problem that you need to answer.
Let’s begin out search with a challenge we raised before: insomnia. You need to start by putting the word in to the platform, and click search.
We got about 80 questions people are asking about insomnia. And hundreds of related results. One example of a result that you can borrow as your blog headline is: Why insomnia in early pregnancy?
Then you can use this headline with the next resource I will give you.
Use Numbers, power words, negative words and positive words.
This is powerful. This words and numbers will definitely make you stand out of the competitions.
Numbers, as we discussed early, are good in giving you a road map to what you are looking for. ‘101 way to change your life’ is much easier to follow than ‘how to change your life.’
I learnt this from a rank math SEO plugin. Rank math is a fast-growing plugin in the market. The best headline for Rankmath is the one that contains numbers, power word and negative or positive words. Power words are trigger words that have affect an emotional response on readers. Copywriters have used them for years to get money out of your pocket or to get you to do something.
Some websites are easy to click and easy to comply then others, and this is probably the reason.
Optinmonster claims that Teespring increased its conversion by 12.7 percent by just adding power words to their call to action.
Words like Best, cash, hurry, rich, savings or secret provoke emotions and move the reader to action. This may be why the book the secret has sold many books. Because it has the word secret in the title?
Here are hundreds of power words you can use in your headline.
Positive words are commonly accepted as good or appropriate. These make the reader happy, relax, and familiar. Positive words like ethical, or easy, or fresh or even free are associated with many people as good and preferable.
Negative words on the other hand, create a gloomy feeling on the sentences. These are boring, awful, collapse, ignore.
Negative words probably have a rougher impact on the reader’s psychology than the positive ones. These words can create fear. Fear is something that man attempts to escape from. And the brain is wired to escape it. Andy ting unknown should be discovered, so that the brain could be vigilant.
This could be why the world new is so negative. People talk about the bad than the good. The bad news gets more attention. A death of a celebrity has much media attention than a birthday.
Use the negative words wisely and without manipulation and they will make your blog headline so much better.
Good blog headline
How to Lose Weight Fast: 3 Simple Steps, Based on Science (link)
1-DO that Start with what people want? Yes, losing weigh fast is what people are searching for. Especially, women would like to know to lose weight after pregnancy or lose weight after 30 or lose weight even if they are 20.
2- Use their own language: People probably ask how can I lose weigh fast or how did miss x lost weight fast. They probably ask how to lose weight fast when they are looking for facts, processes and example. This is where the word ‘based on science’ comes in. The title is responding to the claim how to lose weight fast, not how can I lose weigh fast. The later one is more personal and fun. The first is more serious.
3-Use WH questions- Yes. It asks a question ‘how.’
4-Listicles are the best- That is the reason they added ‘3 simple steps’ This works well.
5-Make them short: ‘How to Lose Weight Fast: 3 Simple Steps, Based on Science’ is only 57 characters including spaces. This is great compared to the standard that is 60.
6-Use numbers- Here they used ‘3 simple steps’ as a listicle and as a number. The difference is that listicle has a list of things and number is not necessary a list. For example, I could add, ‘3 case studies’ at the end of my search. I am not talking bout any list or process but the number of cases I studied.
Here you can add year, or height or anything that could use numbers.
7- Use A Blog Headline Resources: this is probably a known search phrase. This is probably what google search intent or answerthepublic would give you.
8-power words, negative words and positive words. – The word steps are a power word. Lose is a negative keyword.
Case Study 2
8 Tips for Becoming a Successful Instagram Influencer (link)
1-DO that Start with what people want? Definitely, Yes. How many people do you thing would search for such query? Probably hundreds. Especially, the young people have such a need, being an influencer
2- Use their own language: An alternative could be a how question. You can use keyword tools to figure out if this is what the audience use. The answer is probably yes.
3-Use WH questions- No. This is not a necessary.
4-Listicles are the best- This is listicle.
5-Make them short: The blog headline is 53 characters including spacing.
6-Use numbers- This blog headline used numbers to indicate the list.
7- Use A Blog Headline Resources: When I see ‘tips for becoming…’ instead of ‘tips to becoming…’ I knew the blog headline is following a keyword suggestion rather than the grammatical correctness.
8-power words, negative words and positive words. – Successful is a positive word.
