Whether you’re creating a blog post, YouTube video or piece of web page content, it’s essential you have a good SEO headline. The headline to your copy or video not only serves as a means to grab attention and compel one to learn more, it helps Google get your content to the reader or viewer.
Every minute, thousands of pieces of SEO content get uploaded to the web. There are articles, surveys, social media posts, interviews, photo galleries and other versions of information that someone, somewhere, wanted a consumer to notice. How does the buyer cut through all this clutter? It takes a calculated strategy for brands to rank well in search so that potential customers see their offerings. Part of this strategy is executing good SEO headlines for content.
A good SEO headline possesses the power to dictate the visibility of your piece to consumers and search engines. It’s essential you give attention to headlines so that they’re reader/viewer friendly (engaging) and search engine friendly (containing keywords).
Here are 4 tips for creating good SEO headlines:
1. Frame your SEO Headline Around a Primary Keyword
As you do your keyword research, identify some of the most relevant keywords that appear on your list of potentials. These will be primary keywords you will use on various pages (you don’t have to use them all on one page), and they’ll both direct your pages’ content (what the page is primarily about) and serve as good SEO fuel.
During the process of creating page content, make sure you use your primary keyword in your headline – and make it prominent! It takes a bit of finesse to incorporate your keyword into your headline while keeping language natural. But, it gets easier as you create headline after headline.
2. Convey Your Headline’s Message in a Digestible, Organized Manner
It’s challenging to grab someone’s attention for a few seconds in today’s on-demand world, let alone a few minutes. In fact, most readers only make it through 50% of an article. How will you get them to read your blog post or watch your video? Your headline should clearly indicate that you have relevant information to share throughout the extent of your content.
Frame your headline so it encourages the reader or viewer to stay for everything you have to offer. Headlines with “4 tips to…” or “7 ways you…” (or similar) are great because they compel a user to learn everything they want to know about a topic, your topic because you used keywords to bring them there
3. Make Sure Your Headline is Action Oriented
Readers and views look for the most relevant information related to their query, unsurprisingly just like search crawlers. So, consider what a user would type into a search bar. Probably something like, “how do I…” or “where is the…”
Anticipate the exact phrases consumers would use and do your keyword research to back this up. Then, create headlines that answer the questions you uncover. Using the words “how” and where” in your headline (to answer the queries like those above) is a great start in creating a good SEO headline.
4. Use Long-Tail Keywords in Your Headline
Long-tail keyword are very specific queries users have made. Usually, users further down the sales funnel use long tail keywords to find detailed and precise answers to their questions. Take advantage of the fact that you know what these near-customers are searching for. Answer them in your headline exactly, but in a way that compels them to learn more.
For more tips on improving SEO headlines for increased readability and shares, or to get outside help with headlines for your in-house agency, contact Galileo Tech Media.