5 Ways to Strengthen Headlines & Improve SEO

It’s the first thing readers see, and it’s arguably the most important: headlines. In many cases, your web page headline can make or break your SEO efforts. It’s up to your headline to attract the right kind of visitors to your site.

But building the perfect headline isn’t easy. If your headline is too wordy it might be a put-off for readers. Make your headline too short and your readers may not be enticed enough to click through to your content. Creating the perfect headline takes a lot of work and thought.

At Paradym, we’re here to help. Here’s 5 quick tips that will make headline writing easier and improve your SEO:

1. Write a headline that can stand by itself

Your headline should be strong enough that it can stand alone without any accompanying text. A headline will often appear without text beneath it. For instance, a headline appears by itself in search engine results. Your goal should be to create an independent and engaging headline separate from the rest of the web page.

2. Make your message clear

Your headline is your one chance to tell readers what your web page is about. Steer away from overused clichés and instead choose strong language that gives readers a clear picture of your website’s focus.

You also want to make sure your headline is as short as possible. Only keep necessary words. Take a look at your headline before you publish it; edit out all words that aren’t absolutely necessary, (such as articles a, an, the). You want to deliver a clear message in a condensed, easily digestible headline.

3. Shift important words to the left

Online audiences aren’t known for reading text top to bottom. Instead, they quickly scan text. According to eye tracking studies, the left side of the page is most. Readers scan the left side of the page first and sometimes may not even get to the rest of the page.

To help with SEO, shift the most important words in your headline left. And ideally, the most important words will be the same keywords being sought after in search engines.

4. Make your headlines BOLD

According to a study from the Poynter Institute, readers are drawn to bold, engaging headlines. Dominant design elements and a bold font help attract readers to a particular web page. You want your headline to standout from the competition, and one way to do that is through a dramatic, bold headline.

5. Offer audiences a benefit

Readers are investing their valuable time into your website, so it’s important you make it worth-their-while. Use your headline as an opportunity to offer audiences a valuable benefit such as valuable tips, resources or insight.

Sweeten the appeal with a number.You will get more draw with an acutal number (7) than the written word (seven). People are automatically drawn to list. Numbered list signal a promise for a series of insights.

Headlines can use can either help or hurt your SEO. So it’s important you put time and thought into crafting the perfect headline.