Here’s a quick question: Are you having a hard time coming up with the high quality headlines for your content? Here’s another question: Are your headlines not getting enough organic clicks and lower organic traffic coming to your website? If you answered “Yes†to either one of those questions, then this content is perfect for you.
Over the years, I’ve been experimenting with techniques to implement into my content headlines so I can easily increase my organic conversion rate. Remember, when people search through the SERP’s, it’s your headline people see first and if it’s engaging enough, you’ve increased the chances of a CTR. Here are a few strategies to use when you write your next headline.
Use Numbers
Numbers within your headline are a great way to play the psychological game with your reader. People have been programmed to accept headlines more effectively and it draws people to click through to your content. It works because it indirectly tells people your content isn’t “1†long piece of text and they’ll be able to engage with it better. As a matter of fact, this is the reason numbered lists tend to perform so well with readers and in search engines because it a shorter form of content that can still be of high value. Here’s something…
I wrote a numbered list post for link building through article directories, here it is 80 Do-Follow Article Submission Sites. Within a short period of time, it was outranking my competition, driving targeted traffic to my website.
To the Point
I can’t stress how important this is and it will basically make or break your content when published. Here are a few reasons you have to keep them as short as possible.
First, today, with so much information available online, people have shorter attention spans, and won’t pay much attention to longer headlines. As people begin to read headlines, they’ll skim through the results that stand out immediately, which is impossible when headlines are over 70 characters. Next, Google search has been engineered to only display 70 characters within the SERP’s and anything above will be cut off. This is why you should keep them short and to the point.
When writing your next headline, keep them short and be sure to add your main keyword as it’s highly relevant to the person’s search phrase.
Adding Superlatives Works!
Here’s a quick definition of superlatives…
“An exaggerated or hyperbolical expression of praise, here’s an example, the superlative of “big” is “biggest”. Adding these words are awesome at grabbing the user’s attention as people are attracted to positive words compared to those that tell a sad story. Don’t make this task difficult because all you have to do is think outside the box and visit an online thesaurus that will provide you more than a handful of words. The point is this…
People rather read a story of success and joy than something that is depressing. Add words that people find appealing and will brighten their day compared to putting them in a lousy mood.
Ask Questions
I don’t know about you, but when I feel strongly about something, I love to provide my opinion. Adding questions in your headline increases the chances of people clicking through to provide their opinion on something they feel strongly about. The influx of information on the web has provided a foundation of debate and this has allowed people to write opinion based content. The cool thing about this type of content is that others will have their own opinion and will love to share it online. For example, each time Yahoo News publishes a story, scroll down to the comment box to read some of the feedback provided. You’ll notice two things:
First, you have over 100 comments within a short period of time and, secondly, you’ll rarely find people agreeing with each other.
Make a Promise
This method is up for debate, however, I’ve done very well promising my readers they’ll find exactly what they’re looking for when clicking through. This method works well only because there’s so much information online and people are finding it hard to find what they need. This is another reason high quality content does so well online compared to any other type. Google has even tweaked their search engines to give a boost to those websites that provide in-depth content. Use this strategy going forward…
Add a promise within your headline, using the words “promise†or “guarantee†because people like a sure thing. However, you need to ensure you provide them exactly what they need or you’ll lose credibility quickly. This is why implementing this strategy is so tricky, because people have their own opinion of “high†quality and they promise content that doesn’t meet the threshold. If you’ve created content, have someone look it over before publishing, and then add the “PROMISE†within your headline.
Think About Yourself
Here’s a great strategy I use to come up with the best headlines. I think about what I find appealing and implement this strategy into my content. If you’re someone who skims through the web often, then you’ll know what headlines stand out compared to others. Next time you’re writing content, ask yourself: What would drive me to this content I’m writing? Once you have a clear answer, you can implement your preferences into your headline.