How to Avoid Writing Terrible Blog Titles

You and I have something in common. 

Sure, we're unique in many, many ways, but there is one thing I'm certain of that we have in common: we use beauty in order to find contrast from the average.

In fact, everyone does. It's a natural defense mechanism when we're posed with too many choices.

Think about it: when you go apple picking, do you blindly pick from the rows upon rows of trees until your bag is full? Of course not. Instead, you carefully select – by sight and touch – the perfect apples to place into your bag. 

Finding reading material online elicits similar behavior. 

There's so much content getting shared that we naturally throw up a defense mechanism and click only the most interesting titles.

(We even have a tool that helps bloggers write more interesting titles.)

Are your titles worthy?

Writing a great title for your blog post

Marketing expert Marcus Sheridan often uses what he refers to as CSI – Content Saturation Index – to convey the importance of carefully choosing blog titles your audience is actually looking for.

The idea behind CSI is that there’s so much content out there in the form of blog posts, that you simply can’t afford to write terrible ones.

Typically, marketers fall into two traps when coming brainstorming blog titles. Getting Cutesy – Sure, witty blog post titles are fun to come up with, but they’re completely self-serving, and unless you have a large audience no one is ever going to find it.

Compromising the behavior of your audience as well as SEO best practices for a cutesy title is extremely risky, and a common downfall for many blogs not getting read. Over-Optimized – Keyword optimization is a catch-22, as while you can’t ignore it altogether, over-optimizing your post based on search engine data can be a slippery slope toward turning off your audience.

Instead, optimize for your ideal persona or reader based on the questions they need answers to. Chances are they’re not searching for “pool installation in CT,” but rather, “what do I need to know before installing a pool?”

Knowing the difference is critical. With the proper techniques and a clear understanding of what your audience is searching for, it’s entirely possible to rank high for the specific keywords and queries you know your readers are interested in.

There’s already tons of cutesy, uninspired blog posts circulating the web. Don’t add to the mix by falling into the two traps outlined above, as that market is already saturated.

Besides, terrible blog post titles is not a market your business wants to find itself in. Focus on solving problems, answering questions, and less on being witty, cute, and funny. Focus more on the problems your readers are having, and align the language of your blog titles with it.

For instance, consider the manner in which you ask questions.

“How do I…..”

“What’s the best way to….”

“What type of…….”

Generally this is how we ask questions when we’re searching for solutions. Rather than get cutesy with pop culture references, focus on helping to solve the problems of your readers.

They’re counting on you.