Do Titles of Blog Posts Matter?

by: Carol Bryant

A rose by another other name would smell as sweet. Shakespeare
penned it and The Bard is quoted centuries later thanks to his content and his
titles. Sounds a bit like what bloggers need to keep in mind, doesn’t it?

I tend to write my post and then come back to refine, or mostly,
define my title. I talk to other bloggers who say they need a solid title from
which to launch their content. Either way, the way you write what you write and
how you summarize it into 50 or so telling characters can make or break a
really good post. Here’s how you can make the most of your blog post’s title,
thus attracting more views:

Call Outs: Look at magazine call-outs at newsstands and in supermarkets. While
standing in line, my eye is drawn to titles like “10 Meals to Make Kids’ Ask
for Seconds” and “Dog Pulls Owner from Burning House.” “Three New Fat Burning
Workout” tips sounds a lot better than “Ways You Can Lose Weight.” Before
hitting “publish,” ask yourself if you would be enticed by the title alone. If
not, revamp it. Exciting titles lure the reader to your exciting content, after
all.

Is your title SEO optimized? Post titles are how users often times
find your blog content. Search engines love properly optimized titles, so
increase the likelihood of being found, and make the title eye catching and SEO
appealing. Search
engine optimization is crucial for success, and I’ve recently been schooled on
this art by blogger Karen
Nichols. Too much to cover here, but search the BlogPaws archives and join
our community: We
talk about SEO there, too.

Don’t Offer a Title That Doesn’t Deliver: If you write “Get Free
Items for Dogs” but your post does not deliver as promised, I’m likely to get annoyed
and not return. Be sure you can follow through on what you promised in a title.
Good writers deliver. Great writers go the extra mile.

First Impressions Matter: In real life and in the cyber world,
first impressions count. On average, I try not to go over 10 words or 70
characters in a blog title, but that works for me. I want you to know I have
something to say and often times, less is more: Especially when the less
delivers oh-so-much more in content. I’ll bookmark you and come back.

Consider
Twitter: If someone retweets your title, you don’t want it to be 130 characters
with little space to say anything else in a 140-character maximum tweet.

Be
Different: According to HubSpot.com, off-the-wall, wacky titles pique readers’
curiosity, leading to increased open rates. Has this worked for you?

Solve
My Problem: Five Ways to House Train a Dog would make me click on a blog post
if my pooch was peeing inside despite all my attempts otherwise. Think about
your reader and promise me a problem solved.

It
is work to be concise, punchy, on target, SEO ready, and intelligent sounding
all in one, but being a trusted pet blogger means you offer something others do
not. A good title that delivers shows readers you value their time, deliver on a
promise, and are worth coming back to time and again. Advertisers love traffic,
too. Write on!

So do you write your title first and then content or vice versa? I'm curious! Bark at me below in the comments.