How to create an engaging post title
Here is how visitors will see an article link on Facebook and WhatsApp.
Here is a link to the article.
On social media or messengers, the title & featured image catches the eye first. It is hence vital to convert a visitor to a reader by creating a catchy blog post title. There are a few ways to frame an article title. Let us take example of the link above.
Wikipedia or Google Maps way – In this type title is simply written as the official name of the place as mentioned in Wiki or Google Maps. Since it is the official name, there are possible chances that google will pick up the article. But it is not the case always. Official sounding titles are good for official use only. The above place is written as “Ashokan Edicts in Delhi” and just “Ashokan Edict” on Google Maps. The title in official manner is simply “Ashokan Rock Edict, Delhi” or for a longer title, the name of locality can be included “Ashokan Rock Edict, East of Kailash, Delhi”. This type of naming for a blog article is not recommended.
Academic or the boring way – Most of the bloggers make the mistake of creating academic titles. Popular examples would be “What is India Gate” or “What is Decoupage” or “Do you want to look pretty?”. The probability of figuring in Google Search with Academic titles, especially for popular search terms is way out of question. Such kind of title might be justified if you are covering a topic for the first time. This title also sounds preaching or informative in nature. Not all readers appreciate being taught something new. This option too is not recommended for bloggers.
Moderately catchy titles (non controversial) – Pretty straightforward but interesting. All ‘How to”s, reviews, recipes, tutorials and so on come under this category. Examples can be “How to do Decoupage“, “How to enable the blue light filter on smartphone“, “How to reach New Delhi Railway Station” or “How to Maggi in Two Minutes”. Yes, these titles do catch the attention of readers at first glance. But they are still not fully effective for social media.
Controversial and Catchy, Hit those sentiments hard – With just the title and featured image and attention time span of just a few second, a blogger cannot afford to lose valuable views on Social Media. Not only the title has to give a summary of what is to come, but also evoke a sentiment hitting the right emotional chord with the readers. The title and first few lines will help cement the bond and pave the way for further reading. It will also set the suspense for the reader to reach the end of the article.
Let us see what the most upcoming SEO Plugin on WordPress RankMath has to say about article title.
- Focus Keyword or Focus Key Phrase should come at the beginning of the title. Choose a keyword so that it fits in the beginning. So for example in the title “How to reach New Delhi Railway Station” if “New Delhi” is the Key Word, it is not the correct SEO way.
- Title should have a strong positive or negative sentiment – This is a surest way to get the attention of any reader. “Why do people forget their seat-belts despite the high accidental deaths”. Strong enough negative sentiment but the title sounds general. Try mixing up positive sentiments with curiosity. “Have you been to the newly Inaugurated Police Memorial in Delhi”
- Title needs a power word – A power word as the name suggests packs a punch, it evokes curiosity and interest. If you are going to post the picture shown below, the appropriate title could be “This gigantic post box in Delhi is the largest in the world!” or “Massive size and functional post box in Delhi”.
- Quote a number – Not always possible but putting a number to a title will make a big difference. Eg “How to reach New Delhi Railway Station” can become “Three painless ways to reach New Delhi Railway Station in time”
Other points to note
Take care of length of article title, since anything longer will spill over the view-port and will not be visible to the reader. A title will also indicate whether it is a paid promotion of a product or place. This aspect is specially looked into by Google. If it is a paid review, it is better to declare it at the beginning of the article as a note. A title should just be a preview, do not give away the suspense.
