Everyone loves a good headline but, when it comes to online users and Googles crawling bots, there are two very different sets of demands.
As a result, choosing the right headline isn’t easy, but it’s certainly important. Google values text within the title H1 tags, so this will influence your SEO. At the same, nobody wants to see a bland advert on the SERPs. A title such as “Jackets In London” might target some fantastic search queries, but it’s hardly compelling.
However, learning these skills doesn’t just improve your writing and keywords, either. PPC services need to catch the reader’s eye in a few amount of characters, so good headlines are absolutely essential.
Include The Keyword
First and foremost, you should strive to include the targeted keyword where possible. After all, if you’re trying to get people to click to your page, then it should be a page based on this particular search. This is why a search for jackets should lead to a page about jackets, rather than a global clothing page.
This is crucial, because it helps to create a more natural headline. It also ensures that any given page isn’t trying to appeal to different keywords, as you only get one title. Are you selling leather jackets and shoes? Well perhaps try to put these into two different pages, so people wanting leather jackets – or leather shoes – are more likely to find a page dedicated exactly to their needs.
Check The Length
This step is quite important, yet often overlooked. The amount of title characters that are visible on the SERPs page isn’t set in stone, but you will seldom ever see a title passed 60 characters. Try to aim between 40 and 50 characters and check the SERPs page to see how this comes up.
If your title is cut-off, it isn’t very appealing for people to click on. Likewise, because of this, some people would argue its better to have the keyword at the start of the title. There’s certainly logic to this, but it will work well in the middle as well. Sometimes it’s more important to remain natural.
Make A Point
Finally, after dealing with the technical issues, what should your headline actually say? As a title, it needs to describe the page yet – at the same time – stand out. For commercial and product pages, this is usually simple enough to achieve with a little descriptive work. Try advertising your “Free-range dairy products” for instance. The extra information helps.
For articles and other pages, try answering a common question. You can use Google to see what some common questions are with your keyword. If you’re writing a guide, “How to” is a common way of achieving this.
Similarly, you can try adding an emotional impact to the title, otherwise it might appear to cold. Try mentioning how great your services are, or how useful, quick or effective your blog post is. Of course, you want to ensure it is still relevant and natural, rather than sounding like generic click-bait.