Content marketing is an important part of digital marketing. It is essential for building an independent website. It aims to drive traffic to your website or specific landing page through rich and interesting graphic content.
You may be the best writer and still be unable to attract qualified readers (or worse, none). The importance of an effective, attractive headline cannot be overemphasized.
Think of your audience as hunters and gatherers. They are constantly scanning and searching online for what they need. Most of the time they can't find it.
A great headline that grabs their attention and leads them to click through to read the rest to solve their problem - and create a coveted lead generation opportunity for you.
Crafting headline writing (and perfection) becomes a key component of your content marketing strategy. By following these simple rules, you will attract viewers as well as search engines.
1. Use keywords
but only one. It is important to include keywords in your headlines because major search engines like Google, Yahoo! and Bing will put more emphasis on the content itself. It may be tempting to create a witty title, but save it for print.
If it doesn't contain any context about the blog's main message, there's a good chance it's hidden on your site - and certainly not found by search engines.
2. Appeal to Sentiment
According to Copyblogger, 8 out of 10 people will read the headline copy, but only 1 in 2 will read the rest (sad, but true).
You have the opportunity to get readers to click; using punch words will help. CoSchedule's headline analysis tool suggests using a balance of common, uncommon, emotional and functional to engage your audience. Phrases like "what happened" and "you need" force readers to discover the benefits of the article.
This brings us to...
3. Be clear - avoid clickbait
You're trying to build trust with your audience - through everything you do. Don't spoil it with a misleading title just to get people to read a piece of content.
Consider the title of this article. It's straightforward, until now, to let you know what you'll learn from reading these. Titles that let readers know they'll find a solution to a problem, learn how to do something or receive an answer to their question provide a known benefit.
On the other hand, confusing or unclear titles can cause potential readers to exit your page and move on to the next search result because they didn't find the information they were looking for, also known as "bounce." While Google probably doesn't use bounce rate as a ranking factor, that means users won't find any other good content on your site, let alone convert or do anything else.
4. Know Your Audience
What types of information are your target audience likely to search for? The best headlines are ones that your audience will see value as they focus on their wants and needs.
There are some formulas to help telemarketing list with this: (Definition + Guidelines + Actions + Keywords + Commitments). An example title made using this guide could be: "A Free Guide to Designing Successful Infographics for B2B Companies".
5. Cataloging Consider
a list is often more compelling because readers have a clearer idea of what to expect. For example, "3 Ways to Attract More Customers" or "5 Healthy Foods You Should Eat for Breakfast" allow readers to understand exactly what to expect from the article and get the benefits in a convincing way. They also signal to readers whether they want to read a long or short article.
According to research by Outbrain, odd numbers attract, on average, a 20% higher click-through rate than even numbers, because asymmetry makes them more likely to grab a reader's attention.
6. Use Attractive Words
In addition to impactful keywords, using positive adjectives can also increase engagement. Try using words like "free," "easy," "new," and more to engage your audience. (Who doesn't like free, simple and new information?)
Another best practice is to use urgent prompting, specific, and exclusive phrases, as readers expect to "scoop up" information before anyone else.