You’re reading this because on some level you’re interested in writing better headlines (subject lines, blog post titles). Or maybe you’re interested in how headlines impact your readers, and how they impact SEO.
No matter how you got here, you arrived because “Why Headlines Matter” made you click. Obvious, right?
But why?
Four reasons why titles are everything
Below are a four ways headlines matter, and how they make people click. Share your tips in the comments section. 🙂
1. It’s All People See
Take a look at the stream of content – particularly links – on your News Feed on Facebook. Aside from the fact that your friends are recommending this content, titles are the only way you’ll decide what to read or ship. “To click or not to click”, as Shakespeare said.
2. Sharing Happens Without Reading
Your friends share a fair amount of content without reading it. They do this because the content they’re sharing was recommended to them by their friends who they know and trust. Or maybe they’re too busy and so the title is all they’ll read before they retweet or like.
3. Headlines Are King In Search
You don’t have to be an expert in search engine optimization to know that most search engines use titles to index content. There are many other factors, but the title of the blog post is one of the largest factors in the overall equation.
4. Twitter Killed Your Poem
Forget about coming up with clever headlines. Instead, think relevance and attention. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be creative, it just means that you have to pay attention to how relevant and interesting your title is to your intended audience.
And by the way, focusing on your audience should never be in conflict with SEO.
Pingback: Hey You! Read This! (How to Write Better Blog Headlines) - Nonprofit Hub