This week’s Guest Post is written by Sally Smith a writer with years of marketing experience. Currently Sally is writing for Foxley, a website building business based in Australia.
One of the best ways to get your content noticed is to create a stunning headline. Studies have shown that a reader will click on an article or blog post 80 percent because of the headline and 20 percent because he or she is interested in the content. Therefore, it is your job to grab attention and create blog titles that will compel a reader to stop and click on your content.
Use Attention Grabbing Words To Excite A Potential Reader
There are many words you can use to increase the odds you will grab your reader's attention. For instance, you could tell them they will learn easy ways to do their hair or cook a tasty dinner. When talking about food, words like yummy and delicious are sure to grab your reader and make it harder for them not to click on the article link.
Be Concise With Your Title
The title you choose should be no more than 65 characters, including spaces, dashes and other symbols. The reason you want to stay under 65 is because that is how many characters Google will display when your title is indexed. Staying under this limit is also a good idea because your readers scan headlines instead of reading them. The faster you tell them what they need to know, the better the odds that they will click the link.
Use Relevant Keywords
Your title should have relevant keywords that will rank well in search results. If you are writing an article about baseball, you should use words related to baseball in the title. For instance, if you were writing about top baseball players, you may want to craft a title using top baseball players as your key phrase.
Put a Number In Your Headlines
People love to read articles that are in list form. Lists or articles with subheadings are easier to scan for the information that the reader actually wants to know. The number of items you include in an article doesn't matter as much as your ability to deliver on your promise when you create the content.
Ask a Question In Your Headlines
In some cases, asking a question can be a great way to convince a reader to click on your link to find out more. For instance, you could ask if a new invention is going to change the automobile industry or whether a candidate for political office is doomed because he or she said something dumb. The question should be open-ended enough that a potential reader wants to click on the link to see what your answer to the question is and how you came to that conclusion.
Your headline is the most important part of your article. Without a compelling reason for an individual to click on your article, even the best content will not be read. You can find headline examples online or look at popular magazines to find patterns that they use to hook readers and get them excited to consume its content.
