Why are blog titles crucial for content marketing campaigns?

Written By Mmeje Chima

 

You might be wondering, what’s in a blog title, how does it impact a blog post? A good title is the difference between a viral post and small traction for your content. Nailing the title ensures your content ranks well and sells itself to visitors who are eager to unwrap the package.

New website owners sometimes ask, what is the preferred length of a headline? What words resonate well with my target audience? Should I optimize it for search or focus on the readers? If you’re reading this, you’ve come to the right place to learn how to write catchy blog titles and headiness that will serve as a formula/guide from here on out.
Blogs are vital for any digital marketing strategy and the content serves to inform the audience and create brand awareness not possible elsewhere.

The importance creating great blog titles

• You have 5 seconds or less

In content marketing, headlines could make or break an ad; hence, a great headline determines if readers spend 5 seconds, 15 seconds or reads until the end. Without a compelling title, your content is flat. It should have edge and useful information that clues the reader into what the content is about.
 

• Great titles grab attention

Great titles aren’t just for readers as they grab the attention of search engines. According to popular blogger Dharmesh Shah, the wording of the headlines is a crucial factor in creating headlines. Without an intriguing headline, even the best content fails. Good titles contain the right keywords that help search engines direct readers to your blog. Find out what keywords people are searching in relation to your content using AdWords keyword planner and tailor your title around it.

• Engage readers from the start

What is the purpose of the content; is it to provide how-to guides that solves a problem, offer useful information or get readers to take your call to action? The title you choose can either alienate your audience or pique their interest. Your title should create a buzz and excite potential readers who can’t help but share your content across social media.

• Why do people read your post?

Titles that include questions such as why and what are always better than direct statements. If you can’t think of a reason why people should read your post, pick another topic.

5 tips for writing great headlines

• Keep it short

Your headlines generally depends on the goal of the blog post. If you want it to rank well on Google, keep it under 70 characters so it isn’t cut off on search engines. If you’re optimizing it for social media, research has shown that headlines between eight to fourteen words get the most shares. According to Outbrain, headlines with eight words have higher click-through rate of twenty-one percent more than average titles.

• Questionize headlines to generate curiosity for answers
• Use the right keywords to optimize your content for social media and search engine.
• Ensure reader can see the value in the title: Visitors won’t click on the link if they don’t know what to expect in your post. “Five amazing benefits of using PayPal”, “10 ways small businesses can benefit from angel investors” “Six investment opportunities serious entrepreneurs should look at”. From these titles, every reader knows what he/she is getting when they open the blog post.
• Use strong language: words that readers connect with include “Brilliant”, “Surefire”, “spectacular”, among others. Use it in moderation or it becomes off-putting.

Conclusion

Creating a winning title for your blog post is an art form most bloggers haven’t mastered. Follow these steps, test your titles to see the ones that work best and always remember SEO benefits when formulating blog titles.