As it the case with the names of people and businesses, the title of an article will be the source of your first impression. A title can have a tremendous impact on whether someone will actually choose to read what you’ve create and, consequently, each of your titles should be chosen very carefully.
In addition to trying to make the titles of your article appealing to your readers, these titles will also need to appeal to search engines as well. Otherwise, your content will be less likely to appear on the front page and will ultimately remain unread.
Fortunately, search engines work in very predictable ways. Though companies such as Google and Microsoft are constantly evolving, their search engines still organize content using predictable algorithms. By learning how to work within these algorithms while still appealing to your target audience, promoting your content should be significantly easier.
In this article, we will discuss some of the most effective ways that you can create SEO-friendly titles. The best Denver SEO services incorporate quality content as the primary avenue for reaching a wider audience, increasing client keyword rankings, and organic traffic.
Include the Keyword in Your Title
The first thing you should think about when choosing a title is the words people are likely to type in when looking for related content. So, for example, people who are hoping to read an article such as this one would probably want to use keywords such as “SEO”, “Titles”, and various others.
There are many ways you can generate a short-list of potential keywords ranging from simple brainstorming to complex algorithms. It will likely be useful to incorporate multiple keywords when possible, though the practice of “keyword stuffing” is usually looked down upon. If there was a word you wanted to include but wouldn’t make sense in the title, you can always add that word to the title “tags.”
Limit the Length of Your Title
It will also be incredibly important for you to limit the overall length of your title. Titles that have too many words—as well as too many characters—will be unappealing to most search engines as well as most casual readers. Creating the perfect title will involve balancing conciseness with quality of content.
As a general rule of thumb, you should try to limit your titles to 60 characters or less (though there are some exceptions to this rule). Content that is trying to target a very specialized audience (doctors, lawyers, etc.) can afford to care a little less about title length, but it still certainly should not be openly ignored. Before deciding on a final title, it will also help to read it out loud and see how it sounds. If your instinct is telling you that title is too long, you’re probably right.
Add Some Emotional Value
When creating a title, you not only want to describe the type of content that will be offered, you always want to create an emotional connection with each of your potential readers. This is not only something that has proven to be quite effective, but it is also something that most search engines account for when adjusting their algorithms.
Fortunately, creating an emotional connection is likely much easier than you initially assumed. Using the title of this article (The Complete Guide to Creating SEO-Friendly Titles), there are quite a few things you can do:
· Include at least one adjective or adverb (complete, friendly)
· Establish yourself as a source of authority (complete guide)
· Include at least one actionable verb (creating)
· Offer an immediate source of utility (the implication that, with this guide, you will have an easier time coming up with titles)
Each of these features will make your titles more likely to land on the front page of Google. Beyond the strategies listed above, including a specific number (often called a “listicle”) will also attract the attention of potential readers.
However, having “emotion” simply for the sake of having emotion can often be quite ineffective. For example, an article titled “10 Extreme Ways to Unapologetically Obliterate Your Heating Bill” is likely over the top and will have difficulty establishing itself as a source of authority. Keeping your target audience in mind will be absolutely crucial.
Avoid Clichés
In order for your content to perform well on most search engines, you will need to begin by getting at least some organic clicks on your own. There is no secret formula that will send you to the front page every time, rather, there are simply some things you can do in order to help your chances. This means that if you do want your titles to be SEO-friendly, they will also need to be user-friendly.
The objectives of SEO marketing have significantly changed over the past few years. For example, articles titled “Doctors HATE this One Weird Ingredient” or “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Lawn Mowers—I was SHOCKED When I Learned #7” may have once been effective, but will likely be viewed as content marketing clichés and will typically have lower click ratios.
Though it could be argued that the title of this very article contains a cliché (“Complete Guide”), most viewers will view this as less gimmicky and more likely to contain the content they are looking for. Remember, the title of your content may be the first impression you have with a potential client—your approach to choosing titles should directly reflect this.
Make sure that your Title is Original
Lastly, it will also be very important for you to make sure that your title is original. A simple Google search (followed by a quick look through the first few pages) will let you see if a competitive article has been published with the exact same title. Using a title that is already in existence (verbatim) may inadvertently direct traffic to your competitor’s site and will make it much more difficult for your content to gain traction.
There will naturally be many articles with similar titles (especially when you are talking about broad topics like SEO), but originality is still important. Modifying the structure of the title, changing verbs, and changing adjectives are all strategies you can use to add a little bit more originality.
Conclusion
By choosing a title that is rich, concise, and catered to your target audience, you can significantly increase the amount of people who discover your content. Your title is a brief opportunity to appeal to potential readers and—though you will still need to have the content to back it up—its importance should not be willingly overlooked.