When I first began blogging, I let the writer in me choose my titles. The titles were poignaint, pretty, and meaningful to me. Sometimes silly. But, never clear to the reader what the post was really about.
Now, I let the computer in me decide. Why?
If your title is not clearly giving a summary of the post’s content to the reader, then it will never catch the attention of the Google Search Bot… the essence of SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
Here is an example from my own archives:
From a Not-So Crafty Person
Can you guess what this post is about? I’ll give you a hint: The article was posted on February 15, 2010.
Still no clue? Can you believe it was a post about the Valentine’s Day treats I made for my children to hand out to their friends?
How to Choose an SEO-friendly Post Title
When you choose your title, ask yourself this question: “If I were to do an internet search for this information, what would my search words be?” Then, use those key words in your title.
- If you are giving your readers a recipe, then have the name of the recipe AND the word RECIPE in the title of your post.
- If you are posting about how to clean toilets, then name the post “How to Clean Toilets.”
- If you are writing about your field trip to the zoo, the name of your post should be “Our trip to the Such-and-Such Zoo.”
Want more tips about choosing a title for your posts?
- Study the titles of articles on the cover of magazines. Just change the words where needed to fit your topic.
- Use a question. My posts that are titled with questions get more traffic from search engines than any other because people type in phrases like “What is Pinterest?“
- Give the number of points from your post in your title such as “8 Tips to Help You Maintain Your Budget.”
