Headlines are a lot of things. They’re neglected, undervalued, a gateway, and most of all – a pain in the ass to create. If you blog, then you have written a headline before. Whether or not you were aware of it at the time, the headline you wrote made a significant difference in the performance of your post.
The title you choose for your post is the one thing that stands between your article and whether or not it gets read. A quote from Brian Clark with a startling statistic about the true power of headlines:
On average, 8 out of 10 people will read headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest.
It is your job on your blog not only to write great content, but to write a headline that draws the attention of a reader so they stay on your blog for a while. Unfortunately, writing good headlines are not a strong point for most bloggers. I only just realized the real importance of a good headline on my blog.
I have been reading around the blogosphere and have found some truly excellent resources for writing better headlines on your blog. I would like to share with you. I recommend you read every article, as every article I picked has something another doesn’t.
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How to Write Magnetic Headlines
A list of 11 in-depth articles on how to create a great headline that sticks.
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10 Sure-Fire Headline Formulas That Work
A truly invaluable resource, this articles lists 10 headline templates you can use for your own blog. All you have to do is edit a few words and you’re all set to go. This is a resource to be bookmarked and used over and over again.
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7 More Sure-Fire Headline Templates That Work
A followup to the above resource, when Brian Clark wrote the first part, it did so well he added seven more. Again, bookmark and use excessively.
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How to Craft Post Titles that Draw Readers Into Your Blog
Creating a headline that doesn’t just get read, but draws someone to clicking it is the ideal headline. This list has eight tips for creating such a headline.
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How To Craft Kick-Ass Title Tags & Headlines
What a good headline consists of, examples of headlines that work and don’t work, how to optimize your headline for SEO and more.
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How to Optimize Blog Post Titles
A unique approach to how to properly sculpt a headline that not only is appealing to users, but works well in search engines.
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Great Content… Bad Titles – How to Let Your Blog Go
This article goes over the exact uses of titles, talks a little about the SEO factors of a good title, and of course gives five excellent tips for developing good post titles.
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How to write blog post titles while keeping SEO in mind
An insightful article that gives examples of bad titles and explains WHY they’re bad, and a list of good titles that work and explains WHY they work.
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Write Your Titles CAREFULLY and AFTER the Post
A method I believe in, Daniel Scocco explains why it is best for you to write your headline after you have written your article.
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Tools and Resources to Write Compelling Post Titles
A truly great list of tools and resources for picking the right keywords to include in your “perfect headline.”
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How To Write a Good Blog Title for High Website Traffic
An informative post by John Chow, that gives a great overview of how to use Google AdWords to choose the right keywords for your headline.
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Creating Effective, Attention-Getting Headlines and Titles
A very long and informative blog post that describes every last little detail of creating a blog headline. From describing the
tag to showing how a little tweaking can effect your SERPs. -
How to write blog headlines that make people click
Marko Saric goes over what it is that makes people click headlines, as well as analyzes and breaks down the headlines of ten of his most popular posts.
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How to Write Killer Blog Titles & Why Mine Suck
A big list of different styles of headlines, and the best part about this article is the description of using trigger words to trigger someones interest in reading your post.
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Writing Blog Post Titles That Grab Attention
A greatly detailed post that goes over very effective methods of creating a great headline. To make sure you fully understand every point, there is a checklist that summarizes everything said in the last topic.
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How To Write Better Headlines With One Thought
A two minute video that has one point and one point only: use one thought in the headline, and absolutely no more.
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The Best Headlines Are Not Just Written For Google or Digg
Very few people write headlines for search engines. Very few people write headlines for digg. Even FEWER people write headlines for people.
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The Sexy Art of Writing Headlines that Kill
A great post by Leo Babauta that goes over who you write headlines for, and 20 tips for creating the best headline possible.
Every Article Counts
I selected every article up there for very specific reasons. They all have something that others don’t, and I highly advise that you read every article at some point. Writing the perfect headline is not an easy thing to do, but when you nail it – you will definitely see the impact.




The Discussion
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Great list of articles.there. I always fiddle with my headlines endlessly. Actually I think I fiddle with most of my writing endlessly but headlines are the most fun. I have to resist the temptation to make them too long though.
One time I read heaps of articles about headline and blog article writing and came up with the headline, 101 Ways To Be Happy. I did it as a joke really about taking the rules of blogging too far then I wrote an article to fit the headline. Of course it turned out to be one of my most popular posts!
Still lots to learn and I’m checking out some of your links now. Thanks guys:)
That’s an awesome story Annabel! Sometimes when you’re the most laid back and carefree, the unexpected can happen and lless effort can go more noticed.
I always fiddle with my headlines endlessly too! Then I end up taking 900 forevers with the actual Hydrolyze article.
Wow, thanks for the great swipe file. Was looking for something similar for a long time now.
Igor
.-= Igor Kheifets – IgorHelpsYouSucceed´s last blog ..7 Key Marketing Areas You Should Be Focusing On… Instead of Playing Farm Ville =-.
Awesome Igor, I’m glad this will benefit you.
Great list! I really liked Leo’s best, especially his “Be useful” about the importance to tell the (headline) reader what they will get when taking the time to read the whole post. One thing I like to add is to consider the following point:
Catchy, killer headlines, are not always the best ones when it comes optimize your blog post for the search engines
Most blogging platforms have a possibility to edit the blog post head line and the blog post url separately. Enabling to have a catchy killer head line for your readers and a keyword juicy headline for the search engines. Just make sure that both are related to each other and to the blog post itself. Just my two cents, SY
I did enjoy Leo’s article as well!
Your statement is dead on I believe. If you can create a headline that is catchy, and optimize it a little for search engines, you’re good. But, optimizing the title of the page (within the
titletag), then you have both a catchy, killer headline that should do a little better in the SERPs.Lot of idea here. I will do it right now……
.-= iphone5g´s last blog ..Star Trek: The Original Series Sound Effects Iphone Ringtones =-.
Nice collections, really a catchy title will get more people to read your article, most people will not read the article if the title is drab and boring. The better the title, the more interest you will attract!
A title should be declarative and should make a bold statement; it’s should be simple and clear
.-= Web Address´s last blog ..Hello world! =-.
It seems like you have been doing some reading!
Great post Alex! I agree though, headlines are a crucial factor in rather a person will read your article or not. You’d be amazed on how many people would go for a “eye catching” headline rather than a “regular” headline even if the content was the same.
.-= Bilal´s last blog ..Five more affiliate marketing tips to help you become a better affiliate marketer =-.
Hey Alex! This is another great list of resources. You could put any list of copyblogger articles into a resource and it would be a great list.
I didn’t have time to read all of those articles, so sorry if they answer this question: Are there any downfalls to having your headline and title tag being different?
.-= Nick Tart | JuniorBiz´s last blog ..10 Trusty Twitter Tips =-.
Glad you like it Nick!
It’s usually a downfall if they’re the same. The title of the article is less important than the page title. Make your headline catchy, and optimize it a bit for keywords, and then make the page title more SEO optimized.
That’s what I thought. I hope you realize how much you know about this stuff, Alex! People will pay a lot of money to learn these things.
Also, I’ll be sending you an email soon with some guest posting ideas. Probably some time next week.
.-= Nick Tart | JuniorBiz´s last blog ..10 Trusty Twitter Tips =-.
I’m testing your theory – just changed the title of my latest blog. I did that, by the way, after seeing your article title on Seth’s Tweet and my RSS feed, and before reading the article!
.-= Cheryl´s last blog ..Don’t touch that diet! =-.
Well it definitely works then! We are so glad that the article could be so useful for you. I really think your new title is great… I’m looking!
.-= Seth´s last blog ..18 Resources to Help you Write Better Blog Titles =-.
That is a nice list. Never read any of them, except a couple from Copy Blogger. Thanks, Alex.
Btw, some personal question, if you have a choice between writing catchy headline that is bad for search engine rankings (tough competition, etc) and writing decent headline but with a better chance of ranking higher on a decent keywords (have at least 1000 searches/month), which one would you choose?
.-= Andi | Web Marketer Depot´s last blog ..8 Habits of Highly Successful Bloggers =-.
Thanks for commenting Andi!
I would probably go with your second choice because the way you put it, it sounds more beneficial for my blog.
Another killer article.
It amazes me how much quality content and regular your posts are! Keep it up guys!! I’m still trying to squeeze in two posts a week, between everything else.
Thanks
David
.-= David´s last blog ..A FREE squeeze page for you =-.
Thanks David, we do the best we can!
That’s a really big list, but it’s also an “advanced” topic, selecting the right headline. But writing a subject to get attention for the readers is another thing, writing good SEO headlines another and a combination of them is a whole new chapter.
Now all I need is a photographic memory so I can remember all those great headline tips…
.-= Klaus @ TechPatio´s last blog ..How To Fix “Logitech Control Center” (LCC) Support In Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard =-.
Thanks for the comment Klaus!
Writing headlines is definitely on the level of being more advanced. Good luck remembering everything! Don’t strain yourself out though.
Hey Alex! To let you know; I am a email feed subscriber and I want to tell you that only 12 points were listed in the email update of this post..Is there any problem??
.-= Typhoon´s last blog ..The importance of cloaking affiliate links & how to do it =-.
I’m going to have to look into it, thanks for pointing it out!
This is such a great list Alex! This will keep me busy reading for a while. I’ve always wondered how bloggers merge keyword rich titles with really catchy ones. Might find them here. Thanks again.
.-= Charlie´s last blog ..5 REALLY BIG Benefits of Having a Day Job! =-.
Thanks Charlie, glad you enjoyed the article.
Great in-depth post. I made sure to bookmark as I learning how to write title is very important. Thanks for providing this great resource.
.-= Jake | Web Journey´s last blog ..How and Why Bing Can Defeat Google Google =-.
This is definitely a bookmark worthy resource. I hope you learn a lot. I know I did.
Thanks for the useful info. It’s so interesting
Awesome list! Good page titles will not only pull you lots of traffic, but has excellent SEO value as well.
.-= Jacob Stoops´s last blog ..4 SEO Clients That Drive Me to Drink & How to Cope With Them (Spoof) =-.
Glad you enjoyed it Jacob!
I agree with you Alex, thanks for sharing them. Title is very important and talking about myself, I also get attracted to good headlines. I get to know either they’re good and related to me or not. I won’t read them now but I’ve your page bookmarked, will read it soon. I am going to start a blog soon so very new into blogging world, I will need these advices to attract some good readers. Thank you.
I actually didn’t know the importance of page titles until a few days prior to this post. Once I figured out their importance and the traffic they could bring in, I researched the topic and decided to share my findings here!
This is such useful material. I am so happy Kristi put your link up.
Keep up the great work!
.-= BunnygotBlog´s last blog ..Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Human Needs =-.
Ah, she has that series every Friday right? I think we’ve been mentioned in there quite a few times!
Excellent post. The title is extremely important. Unfortunately, many people put no thought into what goes into their titles and headlines. Your tips help to focus on this.
.-= Kathleen Gage´s last blog ..Get over stage fright, don’t be a slave and attract the gold – FREE Teleseminars =-.
Exactly! As I said above, I had no idea about the benefits of a good post title until a few days before I published this post.
Thanks for sharing such list of resources, Alex.
Having a killer blog post titles is very important from SEO perspective. If you are a good blogger, every post you write is a “link bait”. Your title has to be able to grab people’s attention in the first place. And often, they link to you with your title (or something similar) in the anchor text.
.-= Internet Business´s last blog ..Internet. Lots of Money Making Potential, Can You Find Them? =-.
That was a Killer Post Alex.. expect some killer headlines from me now !
really loved*
.-= Enk. | WPPanda´s last blog ..Add Custom Buttons to Wordpress Post-Editor =-.
Excellent advice! I’ve found I receive far more clicks when my headline actively WORKS for grabbing emotional attention.
.-= Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach´s last blog ..Skyrocket Your List – Add a FREE Gentle Wordpress Plugin Exit Popin =-.
wow, what amazing tutorial, thanks for sharing.
Thanks. The title of a blog post is very important to get new users over social media plattforms like digg or reddit. So this tips are amazing useful.
best regards,
Volksphone!
.-= Volksphone´s last blog ..Usability-Schnelltest für die eigene Firmenwebsite =-.
Wow, that’s a huge resource list! Thanks. I’m watching the “How To Write Better Headlines With One Thought” video at the moment. Great.
.-= Paul Hancox, copySnips´s last blog ..Why Writing Headlines For Search Engines Like Google Will Get You More Readers =-.
Hey, I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis and for the most part, people lack substance but, I just wanted to make a quick comment to say GREAT blog!…..I”ll be checking in on a regularly now….Keep up the good work!
Hey, I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis and for the most part, people lack substance but, I just wanted to make a quick comment to say GREAT blog!…..I”ll be checking in on a regularly now….Keep up the good work!
I don’t know If I said it already but …I’m so glad I found this site…Keep up the good work I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis and for the most part, people lack substance but, I just wanted to make a quick comment to say GREAT blog. Thanks,
A definite great read….
Useful Resource once again.
.-= Senthil Ramesh´s last blog ..Whats wrong with Mashable !! Or is it a CMS issue? =-.
Hey very nice blog!!….I’m an instant fan, I have bookmarked you and I’ll be checking back on a regular….See ya
I’m Out!
I’m just wowed to see how you have managed to churn out quality contents so frequently. You know what? I am creating a whole separate folder in my bookmark folder just to keep all the bookmarks from Blogussion.
.-= TechChunks´s last blog ..Best “Technology” posts in Year 2009 =-.
Great article, it simply tells you that the topic we all need is available for free on the internet.
Great article. As a beginner at blogging, I appreciate all the helpful advice.
I have never blogged before until I was forced to for a class that I am taking this summer and a grade. Once my blog was made I guess I had to start blogging. After my first couple of posts I started to really enjoy blogging and giving MY opinion on different things. But as your article says, “8 out of 10 people read headlines, but 2 out of 10 read the article.” So how am I going to get these people that I do not know to read my blog? These articles that you have provided us really help. All of it is such great information and I will pass them along.
I would think you would just need to think up a title that pertains to the topic at hand.. ??
This is a great resource. Thanks so much. The need for interesting headlines that grab attention is getting greater and greater because of the amount of competition there is out there. This will be extremely useful for me.
I agree with this post. Titles really play a major on ones article or blog post hat’s why we should give more weight on our Title.
Thank you very much for sharing your resources. keep posting
So much reading. Didn’t go through all posts you refereed here but this is indeed helpful since catchy titles can even improve CTR easily in SERPs.
I keep listening to the news update lecture about receiving free online grant applications so I have been looking around for the best site to get one. Could you advise me please, where could i get some?
You completed a few good points there. I did a search on the topic and found nearly all persons will have the same opinion with your blog.
Wow I am glad I found this site. Keep up the good work I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis and for the most part, people lack substance
Holy cow! There are enough ideas in just two of the articles to keep me pretty busy for the next two months. I’m sure glad YOU took the time to find these worthy articles; it saved me a lot of work. When I start an article the title is extremely important to me because I base all of my content around it. It’s kind of like a hit song; you name it with something catchy and hopefully original.
Nice job on collecting these awesome articles. I agree that the title or headlines pretty much gets the visitors attention. It must be unique, relevant & useful. The content on the other hand makes or breaks the point of sale. Many thanks!
Hello Alex,
Really I enjoyed your list of resources and I spend my most of times to reads that resources that was fantastic and awsome. Many thanks to give these awsome information.
Mohammad Shadab
Best Regards!
Great resources how to build better website, thanks alex
wow, its very useful article, you do very well alex. i like your post, thats was excelent resources to help us better on blogging. 2thumbup for you man.
Thanks for the list. One of the frustrating parts I’ve always found with headlines is that I often feel confined because there are definitive styles that work. Now, you put on top of that SEO considerations, and you’re really talking about having to be creative to avoid the same ‘ol, same ‘ol headlines.
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