How to Create a Clickable Title That Gets Attention

If you have written a blog post that you are sure has quality content and looks appealing, but it's not receiving the attention you think it deserves, the simple reason could be that you didn't create a clickable title.

Creating a title is one of the most important pieces of writing your blog post. It needs to be catchy and interesting enough if you want your readers to get enticed and read through the entire article.

If you have a boring title, potential readers may think the blog post content isn't going to be any more interesting and just move along without clicking on the title.

According to this article from Copyblogger, 8 out of 10 people will read headline (title) copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest of the content. Therefore, an appealing title can make or break your blog post!

There are many ways to create a clickable title, but here are a few suggestions to think about before you write your next blog post:

Compelling

Descriptive.

Be descriptive enough to capture your audience's attention. Explain to them why your blog post will help them. Most people are looking for solutions to their problems when searching for something online, so make sure your title describes you have an answer.

What's being discussed online related to your niche.

If you are writing about a recent event or a new announcement, make a reference to the news in your title. Readers love to hear about current affairs and if your title specifies that is what your blog post is about, it can be very effective.

Relative to content in body of post.

Make sure your title explains exactly what you have written. Do not be too vague to keep your readers guessing what your topic is about.

Tip: Never create a title that is not related to what you are writing about. That will immediately turn a reader off & they may never return to your blog. This tactic is deceiving and may ruin your reputation.

Engaging/Emotions

Grabs someone's attention right away.

Sprinkle some power words/phrases into your title. Some power words I have seen that others use are: "how to," "where to find," "amazing," "for newbies," "top," etc. These type of words get visitors to take action.

Build around your audience's emotions.

Emotions play a big part in how readers will react to your titles. People are emotional beings and are more apt to make decisions when their emotions are stirred. Therefore, if you include power words in your blog post title that ignites the reader's emotions, they will more than likely click on your post when searching online.

Per Antonio Damasio's somatic marker hypothesis, "Emotions and their biological underpinnings are involved in decision-making (both positively and negatively, and often non-consciously)."

Numbers and Names

Include "how many" issues, ideas, tips, etc., you are writing about.

Including the number of points you are going to make in your blog post is a way to set expectations for your blog post. This will provide your readers with how much information they can expect and keep them from guessing. This is particularly useful when you include lists in the body of your blog post.

Include name of the location or person you are writing about.

If you write about a particular location or person, make sure you mention that in your title. When someone searches for someone or a place and you have the name included in your title, it will stick out to them and click on your link.

Keyword Phrase

Include the main keyword phrase you are focusing on.

When writing your blog content, you include keyword phrases that you think people will search for online. Use one of these phrases in your title (preferably the main phrase).

Try to place the keyword at the beginning of the title (first few words).

Example: My main keyword phrase for this article is "create a clickable title," so I included that towards the beginning of my Title. This helps readers know what you will be discussing and it helps with SEO.

Length

Less than 70 characters.

If a blog title is too long, Google will cut off the words to meet their limit of 70 characters for search results. If someone searches the topic of your blog post, they may not click on your title if it is not complete and ends with "... "

These are just a few things to keep in mind when creating a clickable blog post title. If you keep the title compelling, engaging with emotions, use numbers or names, include a keyword phrase and do not make it too long, you will have a better chance of getting your blog posts read.