A headline could be the difference between a mere impression and a valuable click. Here are our top 10 headline tips you should keep in mind with every post:
Action words are excellent options for headlines. Verbs like discover, learn, understand, etc., can all lure in a reader. Just make sure if you tell them they are going to learn something, that your content actually teaches it.
Try to look at your headline with an unbiased view. If you were scrolling the SERPs, would the headline entice you? Would you click for more information, or would you keep scrolling looking for something better?
While your headline absolutely needs to be eye-catching, it also needs to alert Google to the subject. It doesn’t matter how creative your headline is if the article doesn’t get ranked. Don’t worry; there are still plenty of ways to tie in your keywords without being boring.
There’s no rule that you only have to write one headline and move on. Approach each headline with an anything goes mentality. Write down everything you can think of in a 5-minute time period—one of them is sure to stick out.
Sometimes, you need a longer headline to fit in the key details and your keyword. Other times, you only need a few words to get the job done. Either way is okay.
It is not uncommon for the best headline to be hiding in your text, but if you try to write it beforehand, you will never know. If you wait until the end, you can scan your article for a sentence that sums up the content. Even if there is no perfect line, after the article is complete you will have a clearer idea of the subject.
If your article contains statistics, choose the one that is the most compelling and incorporate it into your headline. Unbelievable stats are certainly eye catchers, and they simultaneously give a clue about the subject of your content.
The goal of a headline is to catch the reader’s attention as quickly as possible—you don’t have time for filler words. By using a colon, you can get two points across in a very succinct way.
Oftentimes, a question makes the best headline. What question does your content answer? Or better yet, what question would somebody ask in Google to find your content? There’s no better way to rank in the SERPs than for your headline to match the query exactly.
It may seem like click-bait, or overdone, or cliché, but the truth is that readers love lists. They are easy to skim and the headline alerts the reader to exactly how much valuable content they are about to receive. And even though AP style says to write out the numbers if you are beginning a headline with one, when it comes to the online world of short attention spans, the numeral is king.
If you can use these headline tips to write effective headlines, you will see your click-through rate soar. To put powerful headlines to work for you, contact us today.