Write Headlines that Pull in Traffic

Writing effective headlines for your posts and articles is a vital publishing skill.

Here's why:

• On average, 8 out of 10 people will read headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest. This is the secret to the power of the headline, and why it so highly determines the effectiveness of the entire piece. (Brian Clarke, copyblogger.com)
  

• Headlines have been shown to increase conversion rates by around 73%, according to The Marketing Experiments Journal:
  http://www.marketingexperiments.com/improving-website-conversion/site-headlines.html .
  

• Good headlines get your content read, wherever it is displayed.
  

• Having the right headline will improve your traffic and rankings from social bookmarking sites.
  

So how do you recognize a great headline, and how do you start creating one?

The best “short course” on headlines is to go and read about them at Brian Clarke’s blog.

Brian is an attorney turned web marketer and professional blogger, whose focus is helping people become great blog copy writers. He has used up a lot of blog space on the subject of headline writing, and his content really does say it all.

Browse his blog at http://www.copyblogger.com, but look in particular at the following posts (they are worth printing off and keeping by you when you write headlines):

Features of great headlines and great headline writers:
http://www.copyblogger.com/why-some-people-almost-always-write-great-post-titles/

First set of template headlines that work:
http://www.copyblogger.com/10-sure-fire-headline-formulas-that-work/

Additional headline templates:
http://www.copyblogger.com/headline-swipe-file/

Your opening paragraph:
http://www.copyblogger.com/5-simple-ways-to-open-your-blog-post-with-a-bang/

Once you have a clear idea of what a great headline should look like, start writing some.

If you have some headlines on your site already, give them a makeover using the guidelines provided in Brian Clarke’s blog.

Remember to include your post's keyword in the headline, and spend time getting it right.

Finally – do what every marketing pro will tell you to do to find out whether your speculation about what works is right: TEST, TEST, TEST.

How? Leave the headline up for a couple of weeks or longer, then substitute your new one for the same amount of time. Use cPanel stats to monitor results (page views) for the post.