How To Write Killer SEO Titles For Blog

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Strong blog titles can mean the difference between a site with lots of traffic and a site that barely registers in the search results. But how do you take your post titles from lukewarm to absolutely killer? Consider these tips for writing incredible blog titles!

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Make it Concise

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The most effective blog titles are concise. A title that’s longer than 5-6 words (or 1 line) cannot be perceived at a glance, which is very problematic.

When the title is short, the brain automatically reads the phrase without any conscious effort on your part. So if someone is skimming search results, for instance, they’ll notice the results with short, concise titles, while they must consciously decide to read the longer titles. For this reason, you’ll always benefit from short titles that can be read at a glance.

An example of a good blog title would be “How to Write Killer Blog Titles”.

An example of a poor blog title would be “Techniques for Writing Strong Blog Titles That Increase Website Traffic and Boost SEO Rankings”

In short, practice word economy. If you can convey the message in 4 or 5 words, don’t use 12.

Make it Descriptive

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The blog title should effectively sum up the main point of your post. While fun, creative titles can be effective on occasion, the most effective titles generally tend to be those that cover the who, what, when, where, how and why of the article (or as many of those essentials as possible.)

From an SEO perspective and from a reader’s perspective, some of the top titles take the form of questions or phrases that match their search query. Therefore, titles that start with “What is,” “How does,” “How to,” and “What are” tend to perform very well in search engine results. The same is true for social media because someone is more apt to read a blog post when it appears to explore the precise question they’ve been wondering about.

Consider this from your own perspective. If you’re searching for an article about how to determine if your dog is sick, are you going to choose the article titled “How to Tell if Your Dog is Sick” or are you going to choose the article titled “The Situation Every Pet Owner Dreads.” Most are going to pick the former over the latter.

The most ineffective titles are those that fall in the creative and abstract realm, as they generally fail to pique the reader’s interest. If you’re unsure of what the article is about, then you’re unlikely to actually click through to read it.

To this end, an example of a good blog title would be “How to Tie Your Shoe.”

An example of a poor blog title would be “Bunny Ears, Bunny Ears, Playing By the Tree.” This title is derived from a popular rhyme that’s used to teach children how to tie their shoes and while it’s cute, it does nothing to pique the reader’s curiosity, nor does it provide any real clue about the post topic.

Pique Their Curiosity

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In cases where a blog title is not descriptive, it should serve to pique the reader’s curiosity. This genre of title is frequently used on Facebook ads to promote blog posts and articles. Some examples include “5 Signs You Have Addison’s Disease” or “Discover the Disease That’s Blinding Millions” and “7 Acne Home Remedies That Really Work.”

Generally, descriptive titles tend to be more effective. But there are some cases where a more sensational, interest-piquing title can be very effective. It is important, though, to avoid sounding overly sensational because this approach is common amongst spammers and marketers who are promoting gimmicks.

With these tips, you’ll find that your blog posts and other content get more traffic from the right kind of reader — the type of person who’s interested in whatever it is that you’re providing, whether it’s information and tips, a product or a service.

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