Creating Headlines: How to Appeal to Both Readers and Search Engines

As a thought leader, you know that your headline can make or break or your content. The wrong headline will be ignored by human readers and buried in the rankings by search bots. Follow these headline best practices so your relevant content gets the visibility it deserves.

Always remember that a thought leader must strike a balance between attracting readers and optimizing a headline for search engines. A headline that is good at attracting readers will garner a lot of hits during its initial promotion, but a savvy thought leader chooses a headline that also scores well with the search engines so it will be served up to new readers for years to come.

Please the Search Engines

First and foremost, search bots must know what your page offers to searchers. These digital interpreters do not understand verbal tricks or metaphors. They also tend to comprehend words and phrases separately. A post titled “Sheep: This Is Not a Post About Farm Animals” cues the bots for the opposite of its intent.

If a page does not contain relevant content associated with the keywords in its headline, this confuses the search bots. They are not going to show a page to searchers when they are not sure themselves which search queries match up with the content.

The best headlines will include relevant content keywords upfront. Also known as front-loading, this technique is responsible for all the headlines we see online that contain a colon, as in the example above. The keywords chosen in these headlines should not mislead searchers as this can send negative signals to the search engines.

Attract Readers

Once you have determined your article’s keywords, you then have to decide how to inspire readers to click your headline. Scan the headlines at the supermarket checkout to see how simple techniques create interest and tease an audience to respond. Keep a swipe file of headlines you can adapt to your needs and topics. Some of our favorite headline techniques include:

• How To – No one can resist the allure of a headline that promises to teach them to do something they want to learn how to do successfully. Given how many people begin their quest for information in online search–studies suggest as many as 89 percent of information searches begin online–these headlines are perfect for finding a spot high in the long-term search results.

• Contradiction – Some headlines suggest a contradiction against accepted wisdom or the laws of nature, either in a direct statement or the form of a question. You have to be careful using this technique as it will backfire if searchers feel your headline deceived them about your content.

• Lists – The list post — Top 10, Three Reasons Why, Five Favorites, etc. — remains a perennial favorite because it works. Everyone is looking for someone to make sense of the information overload. List posts suggest order and promise a specific length. Readers can easily judge how far they have progressed in an article and skim ahead to find relevant content if pressed for time.

• Hyperbole -Hyperbolic language gets headlines noticed. As with contradiction, you have to wield your exaggeration carefully to avoid backlash from dissatisfied searchers. However, most people will afford a thought leader some latitude when using modifiers like awesome, killer, and explosive to describe relevant content or the results one can expect when acting on the content, as long as the page has value for the reader.

Finding the right words is a challenge for any writer, but for the thought leader hoping to establish a long-term presence in the search engines, finding the right keywords for a target audience is imperative. We recommend InboundWriter to maximize your word choice and help you find the words that lure readers aligned with your marketing goals.

Do you have any tips on headline best practices? Comment here or find us on Facebook or Twitter.

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