The only thing you need to know about creating great blog titles is… What’s that? What is it? You need to know… …and that’s the point. The headline you put at the start of your blog post can make or break everything else. If you use a boring headline, readers will leave before they’ve even read the first sentence. But… devise a captivating headline – the kind that’s irresistible to readers – and they won’t just read your post… they’ll share it. Since virality is a key goal for online content, it should come as no surprise that writing fantastic blog titles is a skill you should have in your arsenal. Here’s how to do it.

Strive for accuracy

Accuracy might initially seem like boring advice, but it’s hugely important. Why? Because your headline needs to reflect the content of the post! If it doesn’t, readers might suspect you’re clickbaiting them with a headline that makes promises the rest of the post can’t deliver on. To achieve this, you should come up with a working title. It does not have to be sexy – we’ll get to that later – but it needs to describe the general direction of your post and what readers can expect to learn.

Put your keywords centre stage

Keywords aren't everything – but they aren't nothing, especially when it comes to titles. If you want your blog post to be found well on Google, you need to ensure you use your best keyword as close to the beginning of the title as possible. We'll go into more detail about fine-tuning your headline later, but identifying keywords is a must. This gives you the best possible chance of a high SERP position.

Give your text a bit of flair

We should sell the sizzle, not the steak – so add some sizzle to your blog titles to ensure they're enticing to readers. Let's take a look at a few sexy options you can try:

Use strong words - selectively. People respond to superlatives, whether they are positive or negative. In other words: Words like “ the best“, „the worst“, „brilliant“, „terrible“, „love“ and „ Hass“ They evoke strong emotions. But… don’t overdo it. Not everything can be the best or the worst – so choose wisely.
Use a little alliteration. Sometimes the repetition of sounds makes titles more appealing. Using two or more words that start with the same letter can give your title that certain something.
Add added value to your headline. If you're offering a giveaway, bracket it at the end of your headline, like this: Creating Cheat Sheets Customers Crave [TEMPLATE]. The value is clear - and customers will click to get their hands on the tantalising template you've promised them.
Add visuals. While you can't include an image in your title, you can indicate that your post contains photos, videos or an infographic. You can choose to include a word like „photos“ in your title or put a bracket at the end like we did in the example above.

Adding just one sexy plus to your title can make a big difference in the number of clicks you get for your blog post.

Use numbers

How many tips will I receive if I read this post? Readers love numbers. They provide valuable data about your blog post and help to quantify the post's value to your readers. They also provide a sense of certainty in an uncertain world. A study by Conductor found that 36% of readers prefer headlines with numbers - and that more women favour them than men. You don't have to use a number in every headline, but if it makes sense, it's wise to add it.

Remember: Short is good

A long headline might be accurate – but it's also likely not very engaging or memorable. Many blog posts have bloated titles that could be made much better. Here is an example of an overly long headline that could be improved: Think you can ignore Snapchat for your marketing? Here are 12 stats that prove you shouldn't There’s actually nothing wrong with this headline, but it doesn’t exactly stand out for its elegance or wit. We could rephrase it as follows: 12 statistics that show why Snapchat should be in your marketing mix The second title is not only better - and more interesting - but also shorter. We'll explain why this is important in the next tip. Another thing to keep in mind when shortening blog titles is that the rhythm of your title is important. Even if readers are reading the title on a screen, they will feel the rhythm when they read it. If your title is clunky, they'll notice.

Write titles for search and social networks

Would you like your title to display in full in a Google search? That means you need to aim for less than 70 characters. Take a look up above. The first heading – the chunky heading – is 92 characters. That means the title will be cut off when it appears in Google. The second heading is just 63 characters. Readers can see all of it – and this can make a difference to the number of clicks you get. Now let's talk about Twitter. You know the cap for a tweet is 140 characters – so what does that mean for your blog title? According to one study Titles shared on Twitter should be between 120 and 130 characters so that the Tweeter has enough space for a short comment or hashtag. Of course, Twitter users have the option to shorten a link using bit.ly or another website, but then all the time you've invested in creating a great title is for nothing because users have to click to see it.

Get a second opinion

Sometimes there's no better way to fine-tune a title than to have another pair of eyes look it over - especially if you've been working on it for a while. Do you have a trusted friend who has a way with words? A marketing colleague who knows what customers want to read? Send them your headline and give it a little tweak. If you don't have someone who can help you, then put the headline away and sleep on it. After a day or two, you can come back to it with fresh eyes - and new insights.

Do you want your titles to be good?

Stop settling for low-quality titles and insist on the best ones. The tips we've given you here will help you write compelling titles that will make readers reach for your content.

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!