Why Your Blog Headline May be More Important than the Content Itself
If you are blogging for business you likely have two main goals: to improve your organic ranking in the search engines through the egress of SEO, and to generate more business through social media sharing, clicks and followers. We all know that social media marketing is big for business—as 8 out of 10 Internet users can be reached via social media platforms and blogs. In our post Hummingbird landscape SEO consultants are putting so much focus on content quality (which is extremely important) but just search any high-follow blog site and you may find that 1 in 10 blogs have titles that are truly attention-grabbing, while the others are just tepid at best. Your content is extremely important and it will power your website, but if the headline (or title) is falling short of being spectacular, the search engine spiders may miss your content entirely.
RSS Feeds Love a Good Blog Title
An RSS (Rich Site Summary) feed relies on standard web feed formats that publish freshly updated content and information. RSS feeds allow businesses to syndicate their content automatically, and those searching various channels for particular themed content can receive updates informing them that the article is published and awaiting their attention. In other words your RSS feed exists to educate and entertain while coexisting as a powerful tool for driving traffic to your website while simultaneously improving your online ranking.
Since most RSS readers work alphabetically, try starting your blog title with a letter found early in the alphabet. Be sure the title contains the appropriate keywords that relates to your content and products / services. For example, a title like "Surreal Painting Lessons by an Artist" would be better phrased as "Art and Surreal Painting Lessons by Nathan Scott". When you title your RSS feed it must contain keywords from your website's domain, and therefore titling your blog articles in a way that runs smoothly with the feed will usher in a higher following.
A Clever Title Beckons Higher Social Media Following
When you syndicate your content through the various social media funnels, do some research and try to discover what is popular and gels well with your audience. According to a Twitter study blogs with images will get 128 percent more tweets and if the content is humorous you can expect an additional share and follow increase by 62 percent. So long as your title has the appropriate keywords, throw some humor into the mix and include a funny photo to accommodate the title. A verbal and visual representation of a message will get you further than just a "plain Jane" title and a random stock photo.
A funny blog title may also rely heavily on puns or even play on words. For example, if our art teacher Nathan Scott also restores paintings and he wants to write an article informing homeowners on how to protect their paintings from water damage during hurricane season, the title may read as such: "How to Protect your Fine Art from Water Damage: Hey Rain, don't even Van Gogh there!" A photo-shopped image of Van Gogh could be attached to the blog depicting the famous artist scowling while a leaking rook drips on his head. And finally, in order to enhance your SEO efforts, make sure the image is properly indexed with a keyword-enriched title all of its own.
Other Spices for Peppering your Titles
Once you have determined your keywords and the general message behind your titles, there are other methods for making your title stand out amidst the masses of other articles floating in cyberspace. Rhyming and alliteration not only make a title pop; these techniques also make it memorable and allow it to soak positively into the minds of readers who scan and dismiss (or bookmark). If our Nathan Scott is going to publish an article on teaching surreal art techniques, he can use alliteration by creating phrases like "Surreal and Spatial" or he may opt for a rhyming title WITH alliteration by injecting a title like this: "The Wheel of Surreal: Nathan Scott's Painting Lessons from Dali to Delvaux". Your keywords are "painting lessons" and "Nathan Scott", and the rest is just fun and catchy wordings that will likely grab the attention of Internet searchers.
What is in a Name?
Don't solely rely on well-written, original content without your title being equally impressive. Your title will improve SEO while foreshadowing the wit, humor and style of the article. If you have a dull title, most readers will assume the content is also boring and not worth reading. A subpar title may even have adverse reactions on how people perceive your company and its products. A little extra creativity will take you a long way. After all, if they love your title, they will read your content, and if the formula remains consistent you will see more social followers and an increase in business.
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