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Input on Article Titles

by connorbringas
39 replies
What I've realized lately which is a no brainer to most..

The title is the main way to get traffic to your sites. When writing an article to title is the most important thing. I used to think, "Oh Ill just get a few keywords in the title and be set" but its not necessarily about keywords but more about the reader.

Lately I've been making really catchy titles and get around 700 views.
So I thought I'd just share everyone wants to read:
How to do this
or
10 tips you need to know..
no one wants to read and article titled:
Puppy food..or Dog food.
Sure it may be your keyword(s) but it doesnt help in the long run.
#article #input #titles
  • Profile picture of the author wolfmmiii
    Good info. The trick is to create a catchy title that includes your targeted keywords at the front of the title.
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  • Profile picture of the author 2stace
    I found that I got more clicks into the articles with catchy titles such as "How to achieve a 10 week retirement plan", "How to make up to $275 a day", etc.

    It gets more attention than '10 week retirement plan" or "Make 275 a day".
    When people are getting hundreds of emails in their inboxes per day, you want to stand out well, and so "how to's" are the best.
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    • Profile picture of the author Heuristic
      I agree about the "How-To" Titles. For me, the following format works amazingly well:

      "How to *action that will solve a problem* and
      *the reward you will receive by following this action*

      For example:

      "How to Lose Weight and be Beach Ready in 6 Weeks!"
      "How to Clear up That Cystic Acne and Start living Again!"
      "How to Lose Excess Thigh Fat and Slip Back into Those Skinny Jeans!"
      "How to Talk to Women and Fill Your Black Book!"
      "How to Craft That Perfect Resume and Land the Job of Your Dreams!      "

      Steve
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      • Profile picture of the author Phad
        I agree that "How To" works incredibly well as do list type titles. I find that list titles do well with numbers e.g. "Top 8 Ways To Burp Your Dog". Basically, link bait 101.

        Anything that has a call to action or can be perceived as a solution to a searcher's problem is far better than just a generic 'Insert Keyword Here' title.

        I run some article directories and am always astounded by the crap, unimaginative titles that some people use. Even if you're re-writing your articles, you should still try and come up with a good, solid title for each version of your article.

        In the end, I sometimes end up re-writing the meta descriptions and leave the on page title the way it is, so that the artices become more attractive to click on in the SERPs.
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      • Profile picture of the author Angelita
        Originally Posted by Heuristic View Post


        "How to Lose Weight and be Beach Ready in 6 Weeks!"
        "How to Clear up That Cystic Acne and Start living Again!"
        "How to Lose Excess Thigh Fat and Slip Back into Those Skinny Jeans!"
        "How to Talk to Women and Fill Your Black Book!"
        "How to Craft That Perfect Resume and Land the Job of Your Dreams!        "

        Steve
        Great titles Steve !!

        Thanks for sharing
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  • Profile picture of the author JonAlfredsson
    I certainly agree with starting an article with "How To's".. I would recommend it myself because it is tested and proven. Readers are up to reading materials that would provide them guides on "how to do something.. etc, etc,... How to is indeed a catchy headline.
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  • Profile picture of the author NicoleBeckett
    Titles really can make or break the success of your article. After all, internet searchers may have hundreds or thousands of articles to choose from, so they're going to scan and see which looks the most interesting/pertinent. You could have the greatest article in the world, but if the title isn't catchy, no one's going to click on it.

    The best titles grab your attention without being too sensational. Also, good titles ask questions and make promises - all of which you deliver on (quickly and to the point) in the body of your article.

    I wrote an article of my own on the importance of titles and some tips to make your better, if you want some more information:

    Article Titles - 5 Ways to Improve Them and See Article Marketing Success
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  • Profile picture of the author Matt Bard
    Lance beat me to it.

    I was going to say that ever since I started writing my content (articles, blog posts, comments...) the way that Chris Knight (EA) described in that link that Lance provided, my results have been great.
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
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      • Profile picture of the author NicoleBeckett
        Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

        I need my primary keyword (not the words "how to" or "8 ways to") to be at the start of the title, not just "in the title".

        "5 Ways To Tune a Piano" is no good to me: I want "Piano-Tuning -- 5 Ways To Do It". The difference is significant: it affects how much money gets paid into my bank account next month.
        Exactly... your keywords need to be in the first few words of your title, while still making everything flow properly. Alexa's example is perfect. "Piano Tuning" is right at the beginning, then she tells you exactly what her article's about - how to do it. Any reader skimming over a list of articles would see this one and know exactly what they can expect in the body of the content.
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        • Profile picture of the author hometutor
          I also recently watched a video that stated you get click throughs on banners if you state something s&*cks. This may also apply to titles

          Rick
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          • Profile picture of the author David Jackson
            Actually, it's been my experience, there is no hard fast rule, about when your keywords should appear in your title. I've had success with articles, when my keywords appeared in the beginning of the title. I've had success with articles, when my keywords appeared in the middle of the title. And I've had success with articles, when my keywords appeared at the end of my title. How to Do This, Top 10 Ways to Do That, it really doesn't seem to matter.

            And apparently, I'm not the only one. There are plenty of "How To" and "Top 10" titles on the first page of Google - some even in the very top position. That's what's so great about article marketing. There is no single blueprint for success. A variety of methods work.

            David Jackson
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  • Profile picture of the author LoieB
    Hi-

    I agree that "How to---" or using a number of hints or tips is the right way to go. You said no one wants to read an article with the title "Puppy Food', but they might just read one that say "How to Feed Your Puppy the Right Food"

    Also, check out your title on Google using Quotation marks. The fewer matches the easier it will be to get a higher ranking.

    LoieB
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    • Profile picture of the author David Jackson
      Originally Posted by LoieB View Post


      "How to Feed Your Puppy the Right Food"
      LoieB, that's actually a pretty good title. Good job!

      David Jackson
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      • Profile picture of the author Lance K
        Originally Posted by David Jackson View Post

        Originally Posted by LoieB View Post

        "How to Feed Your Puppy the Right Food"
        LoieB, that's actually a very good title. Good job!

        David Jackson
        "Put it in a bowl on the floor in front of your puppy." is pretty short to be considered an article isn't it?

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        • Profile picture of the author David Jackson
          Originally Posted by Lance K View Post

          pretty short to be considered an article isn't it?
          It's not an article. It's a title. :rolleyes:

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          • Profile picture of the author Lance K
            Originally Posted by David Jackson View Post

            It's not an article. It's a title. :rolleyes:

            David Jackson
            I know, David.

            What I wrote was meant to convey that the "how to" part of "feeding" your puppy the right food isn't that extensive. It was a joke.

            Cheers.
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            • Profile picture of the author David Jackson
              Originally Posted by Lance K View Post

              I know, David.

              What I wrote was meant to convey that the "how to" part of "feeding" your puppy the right food isn't that extensive. It was a joke.
              Oh, it was a jokey joke! In that case...

              David Jackson
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              • Profile picture of the author Gemini9
                Titles can certainly make or break your article, in terms of will anybody want to read beyond the title or move onto another article.

                I find 'How To' titles great when offering solutions to a particular problem or challenge.

                However, with articles that are primarily informative a catchy will definitely do the trick in terms of igniting reader interest. Use of humour, an oxymoron or a wildly ridiculous statement can really grab the reader's attention.

                Of course you've got to make sure the article content delivers on the expectations of the title.
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  • Profile picture of the author ELVISTHEPELVIS
    Good post. If your titles are the same as everyone elses why would a reader read yours? You need to peak their interest and invoke a sense of curiosity that will provoke them to choose your article over the others in the niche.

    Otherwise you are left with what could be a great article with only a few views due to a boring title.
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  • Profile picture of the author PLR Basket
    List are definitely winners...

    Makes the article seem concise and straight top the point...
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  • Profile picture of the author Takuya Hikichi
    What I like about discussing Article Marketing is because of its simple concept, it appears easy to master, but it really goes deeper than the apparent simplicity. And those who truly develop these priceless skills get rewarded. Then I find that great writers simply apply techniques so easy for others to do, but not everyone is implementing.
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  • Profile picture of the author Matt Bard
    Regardless of what someone might think about EA and submitting to directories, you can't deny that EA has a big enough sampling to have better test results than what we could perform on our own.

    If Chris Knight suggests that I write titles a certain way, I'm going to trust his results better than mine.

    Same with the 2% keyword density. When I started writing using the 2% rule, I started getting better results.

    The entire Internet is centered around content and if Chris Knight and EA have done enough tests with their massive traffic to suggest that I will have better results doing it their way, I'm going to at least try it.

    I have always had better results with my content when I tried things their way.

    Of course, you can't go wrong with listening to Dean above
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  • Profile picture of the author wcmylife
    What you want to do is also test out headlines. Most IM'ers fail to test headlines whether its in the articles/blogs/email responders/squeeze and sales pages. Like Jay Abraham says just because you have a headline that's converting at 30% does not mean that you should not test because you might get one that converts at 45% or go down to 10%....

    Test - Test - Test
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  • Profile picture of the author jaxrefinance
    I've been thinking about this for a long time. The psychology behind it follows.

    People LOVE articles that PROMISE to solve their problems. If you write Dog Food, the reader RISKS spending 10minutes to waste reading something they assume that might not be good. If you however write "How Dog Food Affects your dog" there is no dog lover that can resist not learning something to improve his dog's life.

    Example:

    Lose belly Fat - Look skinnier for your 40th birthday (everyone would be interested in how to achieve this, even if they are not turning 40)
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  • Profile picture of the author jamjar919
    You can also add the element of competition

    "Be the slimmest in your neighbourhood within xxx days!"
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  • Profile picture of the author PeterGarety
    It is very important not just to make a catchy title, but also address the problem you are solving with this article and the primary keyword, the best in the beginning of it.
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    • Profile picture of the author bizfox
      Originally Posted by PeterGarety View Post

      It is very important not just to make a catchy title, but also address the problem you are solving with this article and the primary keyword, the best in the beginning of it.
      ya

      cover all those bases and you'll be sure to attract more traffic
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  • Profile picture of the author jaxrefinance
    Okay, quick, to the point, catchy, problem solving, self explanatory

    That pretty much sums it all

    Hope it answered your question
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