How to Write Catchy Blog Post Headings?

 There are 1.9 Billion websites and over 600 million blogs on the Internet. This may seem like a lot of competition and may even be discouraging to some, but the fact is that only around 1% of these blogs are actually productive. In fact, making your blog shine and appear on the first page of Google search results is not so difficult. Do not be fooled to think it is easy - quite on the contrary. Here, we will deal with the importance of headings/titles and how to use them to communicate effectively and reduce your bounce rate. 

Why Are Good Blog Post Headings Important? 

Blog post headings are important because they: 1. Give structure to your writing, and 2. Make it easy for search engines to understand what the text is about. A good structure is important. For this reason, you should be able to structure your ideas clearly and present the structure through your headings. This is not a skill we are born with - it has to be practiced. 

A good heading structure will also provide search engines with easy access to the information that is stored within the text itself. Regardless of how good search engine bots are, they still have difficulties processing human language, even in a blog; for this reason, we fine-tune the headings to aid them in understanding our communicative intent and to boost our chances of appearing on the first page of the search results. Let’s consider some examples: 

Example 1: 

Solar Panels Installation Process

What Are Solar Panels

Different Kinds of Solar Panels

Monocrystalline Solar Panels 

Polycrystalline Solar Panels 

Perovskite Solar Panels 

Choosing the Right Solar Panels for Your Home

Roof Orientation 

Sun Angle Throughout the Year 

Roof Tilt for Solar Panels 

Solar Panel Installation 

DIY Installation 

Installation by Professionals 

Assessing Roof Condition 

Safety Measures 

Mounting Solar Panel Bearings 

Mounting Solar Panels 

… 

Example 2: 

Solar Panels Installation Process

What Are Solar Panels

Different Kinds of Solar Panels

Monocrystalline Solar Panels 

Polycrystalline Solar Panels 

Perovskite Solar Panels 

Choosing the Right Solar Panels for Your Home

Roof Orientation 

… 

Examples 1&2 both have the same headings, but the H-structure (H1, H2, H3…) is different. Guess which example is easier to read, both by humans and machines. Go with this example. 

How to Come Up with a Catchy Blog Post Heading? 

Once the basic structure is there, you should focus on the headings themselves. If you do not manage to do this part correctly, you risk being labeled as a click-bait website and may not appear in search results. Here are some useful steps to coming up with great headings: 

Set Expectations 

Your headings should communicate clear and concise messages. They should set realistic expectations that you can follow through. Your audience will love getting the promised content delivered. “Lose 50 Pounds Over Weekend” is setting unrealistic expectations. “Lose 50 Pounds over 50 Weeks” sounds much better and is easier to deliver. 

Make It Personal 

Telling a personal story is always a big plus. “How I lost 50 Pounds” is a story people can relate to. In addition to this, making headings personal is a great way to engage the audience and brand yourself. Ask yourself: “Who can write my research paper for me”? And then, hire the same people to research what kind of personality you should come up with for your own blog.

Solve a Problem 

A good heading will promise a solution to common problems people may be facing. “The Ratio of Fructose and Sucrose in Diet and Correlation to Obesity-Risk” sounds good to academics. “How to Kick Sugar Out of Your Diet” sounds much better to a wider scope of readers. 

Place Keywords 

Insert Keywords into the headings. When doing so, you should pay attention not to overstuff your headings, as the text may be flagged as spam by search engines. Likewise, using few keywords in headings may have the opposite effect with the same result - the bots won’t know what the text is about, and you will not rank. 

Do Not Make Headings too Long

“How I Lost 50 Pounds in a Single Year by Kicking Sugar Out of My Diet Following These Steps” is too long for anyone to read. Headings like this are likely to be read partially but not clicked on. This is something you do not want. Limit your headings to 6 words whenever possible - longer headings should convey more value. 

Wordplay in Headings 

Using wordplay in headings is a sure way to grab someone’s attention. “The Biggest Loser Loses 50 Pounds” is a good example, because it makes people think about what they’ve just read. They are more likely to engage with content like this. 

Use Numbers and Quantifiers 

“Lose Pounds Quickly” and “Lose 10 Pounds by Christmas” convey pretty much the same idea. However, the second one promises quantifiable results that you can rely on and measure. This is the kind of value that people want to see delivered to them. For everything else, there’s Photoshop. 

Final Thoughts 

Coming up with high-quality headings is the perfect way to engage your audience and ensure that the content is actually read. This is not a skill that is difficult to master, but it is a skill that has to be practiced daily. With this in mind, it should go without saying that you can improve your headings day after day and ensure that your audience stays with you. 

Eric Wyatt 

Playing with ideas and constantly trying out new things is something that Eric does pretty much daily. This way, he can always come up with unique solutions for common issues. He loves reading and traveling and hopes to have enough income one day to simply hop on a plane without much thinking. 

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