[H1]The Science of Titles: Balancing SEO and Curiosity
Have you ever paid attention to why you decided to pick one story after scrolling through an endless stream of articles? Chances are, the deciding factor was the headline or title.
There is a high chance your valuable content gets buried in non-engaging, boring titles.
In this article, I’ll share some tips and tricks to help you navigate the tricky waters of title creation and craft headlines that hook readers from the get-go.
[H2]But what makes a title attractive to readers?
In a recent study conducted with 99 undergraduate students, it was found that titles phrased as questions are more engaging. And the reason for their effectiveness is curiosity.
A headline or title that makes someone curious makes them want to get the information they think they're missing in order to lessen or get rid of the feeling of lack.
For instance, consider the title, “What is that one thing that makes your reel viral?” Doesn’t it make you curious to know what that one thing is? However, as a writer, you must be careful not to violate expectations. Expectation violations are common in online media, where a title sets a high expectation but delivers poor value.
Thus, as writers, we must delicately balance curiosity and expectation setting. This balancing act is crucial in online media, where readers have countless options, and one disappointing title can result in losing them forever.
Similarly, you can grab the audience’s attention by using strong verbs and adjectives, it will send a positive signal. Such words include powerful, irrefutable, best, amazing, important etc.📌
For offline content, this is enough, but for online content, you have to do more work.
That’s what we are looking for next.
(You might have already noticed the square brackets.)
[H2] The Importance of Subheadings in SEO Optimization
The first thing is adding proper subheadings and formatting your heading. When I say heading, in SEO language, it means H tags.
An H1 tag is an HTML heading used to mark up a webpage’s main subject. In a webpage’s code, you’ll see the H1 text wrapped in <h1></h1> tags.
H1s Help Search Engines Understand Content. Search engines, just like your readers, look at your H1s to learn about your pages and their content.
Every article should have a proper hierarchy of titles and subheadings. This is known as an H-tag structure, and it includes H2s, H3s, or H2s, H3s, and H4s. This structure makes Google happy and helps readers scan your article.
[H2] The Difference Between Title Tags and H1 Tags
There is often confusion about whether H1 tags and title tags are the same.
Title tags are HTML elements that specify the title of a webpage. They appear in the browser’s title bar and are used by search engines as the main headline for the page in search engine results pages (SERPs).
H1 tags, on the other hand, are HTML elements used to create headings on a webpage. They are typically used to indicate the main topic or section of the page and are usually larger and bolder than other text on the page. H1 tags can help organize content and make it easier for users to scan and understand the page’s structure.
[H2] The Significance of Page Titles in SEO
If page titles don’t show up on SERPs directly, why are they important for SEO? The page title sits at the top of the post, tells your reader what your post is about, and draws them into reading the full article.
- Click-through rates (CTR): Although page titles may not always appear in their entirety on SERPs, they do play a crucial role in enticing users to click through to your website. A well-crafted, compelling page title can make your website stand out from other search results and increase the likelihood of users clicking on your link.
- Keyword relevance: Search engines use page titles to help determine the relevance of your website to a particular search query. By including relevant keywords in your page title, you can signal to search engines what your page is about and increase the chances of it ranking for related search terms.
- Branding: Page titles can also help establish your brand identity and increase brand recognition. By consistently using your brand name or logo in your page titles, you can reinforce your brand image and make it more recognizable to users.
- Social sharing: When your content is shared on social media, the page title is often the first thing that users see. A catchy or intriguing page title can help increase the likelihood of your content being shared and potentially going viral.
[H2] Writing a Good Title Tag
Include your primary keyword: Your title tag should contain the primary keyword or key phrase that you are targeting on the page. However, avoid stuffing the tag with too many keywords, as this can harm your rankings.
Secondly, Be descriptive: Your title tag should accurately describe the content on your page. Use descriptive words that accurately convey what the page is about.
Make it unique: Each page on your website should have a unique title tag. This helps search engines understand the content on each page and improves your chances of ranking for specific keywords.
Lastly, consider when crafting your title tags is the use of subheadings. Properly structuring your article with H2s, H3s, and H4s helps both Google and your readers understand the hierarchy and flow of your content. This can also make your article easier to scan and digest.
[H3] Common Article Types and Their Characteristics
To categorize your article and think of a title in similar lines, it’s helpful to consider common article types, such as “everything you need to know”, “why you should” , “how to”, “comparison: better or vs” , “top 10” , “mistakes to avoid” and “what are the best practices” These are some of the most appealing categories of content.📌
[H3] The Effectiveness of Certain Types of Titles
Among these common article types, “everything you need to know” and “why you should” titles get more clicks, while “mistakes to avoid” titles and guides get the most shares. “How to” and comparison articles attract the most backlinks.
[H3] Title Length and Structure
It’s important to keep the title length short, between 10–20 words or 60–70 characters, as search engines may change your display title if it’s too long. However, longer titles may work better for social sharing. Keywords should appear closer to the beginning of your title tag, and a hook should be added at the beginning as per your content.
It’s also a good practice to check how your title tags appear on different devices and browsers, using tools like BrowserStack. This can help you identify any issues with how your title tags are displayed, and make necessary adjustments to ensure that they are displayed properly on all devices and browsers.
In terms of structure, there are a few different approaches you can take. One common structure is to start with the primary keyword or key phrase, followed by a separator (such as a pipe or dash), and then a brief description of the page. For example, “Best Restaurants in Bangkok | Authentic Italian Pizza at Phuket”. Another approach is to use a benefit-oriented title tag, such as “Get More Traffic with Our SEO Services | XYZ SEO Agency”. Ultimately, the structure you choose will depend on the content of your page and your marketing goals.
[H3] The Impact of Keywords and Numbers in Titles
Including numbers in titles can attract more clicks because of a cognitive bias towards standout and specific titles.
Our brains are trained to find things that stand out and are specific. When you’re scanning search results, that’s a lot of information. So your brain is going to try to find some things that it can grasp on to, and numbers are the ultimate things that are both specific and they stand out.
Titles should accurately reflect the corresponding content, and it’s helpful to include synonyms and variants of your top keywords.
Let’s say you do your keyword research and your top keywords are “New movie Reviews” You want to optimise for New movie Reviews. Well, people may be looking for that in different ways. They may be looking for “latest Film review” or “new releases review” or “recent films review,” things like that.
So you want to use those variants, find out what the synonyms and variants are, and incorporate those into your title tag. So my title tag might be “Latest Film Reviews | New Releases & Recent Films | (website name)” or I may try : “ Discover the Best New Movies and Latest Reviews | A Film Guide to Must-Watch Releases”
Questions can also be effective tools to use in title tags, creating a curiosity gap and an incentive to click.
[H3] Branding and SEO
While optimizing your titles for SEO is essential, don’t forget about branding. Use your brand name or unique selling proposition in your title tags to make them recognizable and memorable. Consistency in your branding helps establish trust and authority with your readers and search engines.
[H2] Some Tools
📌Capitalize your titles using capitalisemytitle
📌Check the pixel width limit of your titles with searchwilderness.
📌Review how your titles get displayed on a browser with SERP Preview Tool
📌To understand Google changes your titles, use SISITRIX
In summary, writing a good title tag is essential for effective SEO optimization. By understanding the importance of subheadings, the difference between title tags and H1 tags, and the significance of page titles, you can create effective title tags that attract both search engines and readers.
By considering common article types, title length and structure, the impact of keywords and numbers, and the use of synonyms and questions, you can create standout and specific title tags that entice readers to click and engage with your content.
🎁Want to learn more, click here.
