5 types of Blog Headlines to increase Traffic

2023-04-24 2719

Very few people read your blog posts than you think. Interestingly, a lot more people read your headline. Quite an anomaly you might say! You might not realize it right away, but your blog headline could be the defining factor you're losing out on traffic to your blog article. In fact, on average, approximately only 20% of people  browsing online who read your headline will click through to read your article. What this means is ‘non-enticing’ headlines will make you lose 80% of your audience you were hoping would read the blog.

‘Enticing’ or ‘Engaging’ headlines, though, can make a dramatic impact on people interested in reading your blog. You can increase the traffic to your articles by as much as 500%, based solely on the headline. Not only does the headline impact click-through rates, but it also sets the tone and establishes the vital idea the article intends to put across. An engaging headline can create a huge impression on what the audience takes away from an article.

The best headlines are the ones that encapsulate the pain points of your target personas and introduces a topic that will make their lives better. And it must be compelling. Also, a lot of blog writers headline their blogs based on personal convictions, which is great, but not very smart from the perspective of SEO. The blog writer should do a keyword analysis to understand what keywords internet users are actively searching for online.

Let’s now look at 5 types of blog headlines that will help generate traffic and lead to people reading your blog with curiosity:

1. The 'Best' Headlines

These headlines are powerful for SEO. It will strongly connect with the common web searches of your customers. Consider this - if you're searching for ways to save money, wouldn't you be intrigued by the best way? Or would you be satisfied with an already existing way?

These headlines are typically exact-match searches; starting off with the words, "the best way to..."

Example:

‘The Best Ways to conduct Market Research for your Business Plan’

2. The 'If I Were You' Headlines

Many of us want to improve. We all want to be more efficient and more successful. We all would love to accomplish more in less time. And, we all want to make optimal choices. It is those desires that make the "If I were you..." headlines so powerful.

When someone tells us how something is to be done, we hesitate. But, when someone offers to show us why we should do something, it appeals to us instantly. It speaks to the reasons and motivations why we should adopt a new idea or change our current ones.

Example:

‘Why should you start using LinkedIn’

3. The ‘Backed by Science’ Headline

Humans have been found to have a learning bias. No matter how wise an idea sounds, we are much more inclined to accept it as true if we trust the source that it is coming from. Not only that, but we're also fascinated by ultimate truths that lead us into action.

For example, if you can show through research that waking up and listening to Jazz translates to more energy in the morning, YouTube will be flooded with Jazz requests in the mornings.

Why not do the same with your product or service offering? How is it going improve someone's life? Share that, but back it up with research.

Example:

‘The Science of Simplicity: Why do successful entrepreneurs wear the same attire every day?’

4. The ‘Why do X people do X’ Headline

This title invokes our deepest desires to excel and be the best at whatever we do. The people you most respect and look up to have profound influence on how you think and feel about yourself, and the kind of decisions you make. If your title can appeal to the kind of people your audience look up to, it can be a powerful incentive to read more.

Example:

‘Why did Steve Jobs read “An Autobiography of a Yogi” al least once every year?’

5. The ‘Don’t be stupid’ Headline

The most enticing headlines are those that appeal to our desire to be accepted. Headlines that connect to that desire are extremely compelling. When you indicate mistakes, we all want to ensure we're not making them, especially if they are elementary.

Example:

‘6 SEO mistakes that pull down your website’s ranking’

Apply these fundamental mantras while chalking out a headline for your blog and you will instantly start noticing the increase in traffic to your blog. Of course, the content of the article you write must be relevant and interestingly written too!

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