How to Write SEO Optimized Headlines for Your Blog

guest post by Amanda Tradwick

Writing compelling headlines is a skill. Writing compelling headlines that also help rank your blog or website through the use of targeted keywords is an art.

Learning how to do both will help you increase your search engine ranking and your site's visibility, helping to drive traffic to your site.

Here are a few tips for how to create effective headlines that are both SEO optimized and compelling:

Include Keywords

One of the most important aspects of search engine optimization is your choice of keywords and how well you use them. Once you have researched your keywords for the post you plan to write, remember that you must use them both in the body of the post, as well as in the headline.

Try to minimize the keyword phrase you use to only two or three words. The more words you try to cram into the headline, the more awkward and stilted it will sound.

Also, try to place your keywords near the beginning of your headline. The closer they are to the front, the higher they will rank.

Be Compelling

No matter how strong your keyword research is, or how well placed those words are, if you write a boring headline, no one will want to click on your post or read it. It is important to write a catchy headline that invites users to read your post.

There are several types of headlines that can accomplish this:

• A question: "What mistakes are you making with your blog that is costing you traffic?"
• A call to action: "Take control of your future by starting your own profitable blog now."
• A promise or guarantee: "Learn how to increase traffic to your blog with these 3 easy steps."
• A challenge. "Can you make a living working only four hours a week? Here's how."

When you think of your headline, think of those you see in newspapers or that you hear on the nightly news. These types of headlines are often used to lure in readers and watchers. Combine a catchy headline with the right keywords, and you will have an effective headline.

Keep it Short

Headlines should be indicative of the content that the post will include, but they should not read like manuals.

A headline like "How to make your blog profitable now" is much more effective than "How to write better headlines, perform keyword research, and maximize your SEO strategy to drive more traffic to your blog and make money now."

Be brief, but include information about what your post will offer. Give readers a glimpse of your content, offering them enough to want to read more but not so much that they find just reading the headline to be exhausting.

Use a Plugin

Finally, one of the easiest ways to have your cake and eat it, too - or to have your catchy headline and your string of SEO keywords, too - is to use a plugin that allows you to show a different headline to your readers than what you show to the search engines.

For example, your post might read "Get your bikini body back by summer," but the url string in your browser might read something like "www.yourblog.com/7+tips+to+burn+fat+fast+for+quick+weight+loss+this+summer."

The longer url string allows you to target more keywords with the search engines, but your headline post doesn't have to read like a directional guide. WordPress SEO is one of many plugins that offer this capability.

Your blog's headlines are critical to drawing in traffic to your site and to increasing your search engine rank. Not only should they entice your readers, but they should also target appropriate keywords to make your site more attractive to search engines and, therefore, more visible to new readers. Following these guidelines will help you to do just that.

About the author

Amanda Tradwick is a grant researcher and writer for CollegeGrants.org. She has a Bachelor's degrees from the University of Delaware, and has recently finished research on grants for minority students and student grants in West Virginia.