5 Steps to Amazing Blog Titles

Written by Dustin Brackett | Mar 23, 2016 8:17:03 PM

A good writer is supposed to be able to grab their reader in a matter of seconds. Well, with your blog title, you've not only got to catch readers' attention, but also the attention of search engines. Your title has to be searchable and be focused around information that people are searching for in order to be successful.

So often we see businesses try to be really cute and clever with their blog titles without giving a second thought to the searchability of the title or we see businesses on the other side of the spectrum that put out titles that are not interesting at all. No one is going to click on a title that doesn't interest them. The trick is to combine solid research and keywords with an interesting title that people will want to click on.

Let's dive in and look at five steps to effective and amazing blog titles!

Step 1: Research

It's not enough to just write blog posts. It's not even enough to write amazing blog posts. If you're the only person that cares about what you're writing about, how successful can that post really be?

The first step to creating great blog titles is doing your research. Not only do you need to understand if people are searching for that topic, but you need to determine which keyword(s) you want to rank on Google (and other seach engines) for. Look for those keywords that have low competition and high searches. These are your 'low hanging fruit'.

PRO TIP: Use tools such as Google's Keyword Planner or HubSpot's Keyword Tool to find search information on any potential keywords.

Step 2: Templates

You don't have to recreate the wheel. There are a few very common blog title template types that can be tailored to fit most blog posts.

The List
- Lists are a great way to structure a blog post because it breaks the content up nicely, creates curiosity, and can be easily skimmed.
- EX: "5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Company's Culture"
The How To
- Everyone loves a good how to. You probably started reading this post because of our use of this template. Your reader will instantly know that they are going to learn something important to them when they see a how to title.
- EX: "How to Become a Better Leader in 5 Easy Steps"
Expert Advice
- You're an expert in your industry and you need to position yourself as such. Giving expert advice from your years of experience can be extremely valuable to your readers. Leverage your knowledge and answer some of your most common questions. Your readers will love it.
- EX: "Why Macros are so Important to Your Weight Loss Success"

Step 3: Personalization

Using words like, "you" and "your" will instantly resonate with your reader. It makes them feel more like you are talking directly to them rather than posting for the masses. We also like the use of "I" because it makes readers realize that there is a real person behind the post and your business. The more you can give your business a face and personality, the better.

Step 4: Make it Actionable

Using action words like learn, find, achieve, discover, and build are a great way to spark interest from your readers. These verbs give readers the understanding that your blog post has value because they are going to learn, find, achieve, discover, or build something that they're interested in.

Step 5: Everyone loves a Mystery

People are naturally curious. If you have a blog post that sparks their curiousity, you're almost guaranteed that they're going to click through to read more. This is why link baiting was so successful. Take advantage of the natural human nature to explore their curiousity and give a little mystery to your blog title.

Creating a great blog post and blog title is not an easy task, but most of us end up overthinking it. There is no need to be overly cute with your title. Chances are, if you're doing that you probably aren't ranking well for that post. Keep it simple, focused, and incorporate some (or all) of the above tips and you'll be in good shape.

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