Tips to Create Strong Titles for Content

Coming up with a great title for your article or blog post can be tricky but it’s also a crucial factor when it comes to finding an audience for any type of content. Though some people are better than others when it comes to attracting people with a title, there are ways to improve. Here are some tips to get you started writing better titles.

Drop “Ing”

By using words which end in “ing,” called gerunds, you can actually make a title weaker. Ultimately, “ing” within a title takes away some of the impact, and does nothing to make the title stand out among an entire batch of articles. For the best results in a title, be as direct as possible without including “ing.”

Keep it Relatively Short

Long, drawn out titles aren’t going to capture anyone’s attention. To succeed with a title, it’s important to make it short and straight to the point while maintaining an attention grabbing flair. Be sure to make it long enough to reveal information but not so long that the reader feels like they’ve ingested the entire article just by looking at the title.

Include Keywords

Keywords are an extremely important part of a content title. Without including keywords, your content isn’t likely to get noticed by important search engines like Google. Search engines are a vital part of being found by a variety of people.

To create good keyword phrases, first find commonly searched keywords which are relevant to the content. Secondly, whether it be in a description or in the body of an article, the keyword phrase should be sprinkled throughout the content in moderation. Use tools like Google Adwords to find a keyword phrase with a high search rate and low competition, and then include it in the title and content.

Avoid Cliche Like the Plague

Jason Hartman knows the dangers of relying on a cliche. Avoid them in both titles and content. A cliche is an overused phrase or expression, which – particularly in titles – can actually turn the average Internet user’s interest off. They’ll assume the content doesn’t contain anything they haven’t already heard before and move on to the next title.

Tempt Curiosity

A title should act like a small guide to the content, and it should make people curious. Give potential readers, viewers, or listeners a little piece of your story within the content. This will not only spark a bit of curiosity but separate those who would normally be interested in the content from those who wouldn’t.

Interested in learning more about how you can improve your content? Try reading “Find a Writing Platform and Target Audience” for more information. (Top Image: Flickr | Tnarik)

The Speaking of Wealth Team