Titles: They're Not Just for People

By lisala on 8/6/09 11:03pm
1 Comment
Create titles that are intriguing, but that also accurately describe the content of the post.

We're familiar with titles in contexts other than writing on the Web. We pick up a particular book in part because of the title. Movie titles attract our attention in trailers, and we remember them later. Newspaper article titles are second in importance only to the headlines; we make our decisions on whether or not to read an article in large part because of the information in the article's title.

Titles are at least as important in Web pages and blog posts as they are for books and articles. For many readers, who follow a blog via an RSS reader like Google Reader or My Yahoo, all they see is the title of the post, and nothing else. For readers using an RSS reader, (sometimes called an aggregator) the decision to click through and read a post will be based entirely on the appeal of the post title. That means as writers we need to give some careful thought to post titles in order to attract a reader's eye. Another reason to pick a descriptive title is that the title you choose for your post also gets magically inserted in the HTML Title tag in the code that, probably, you don't even see. The Title tag provides important information that Google and other search engines use; the text of the blog post title is the first line a searcher sees in the search results. In order to be useful to the reader using a search engine—and to be listed early in the results for a given set of search terms, the post title needs to accurately reflect the content of the post. It needs to be both descriptive and accurate.

The fact that titles need to work for two seemingly different audiences, search engines and readers, means that as writers we need to strike a balance between two seemingly contradictory requirements with respect to a post title; writers need to create a title that is catchy enough to be intriguing, but that accurately describes the content of the post. Writing a good title can be be tricky, admittedly. Here are a few basic guidelines to help:

  • Shorter and succinct is better than overly complex.
  • Use strong verbs.
  • Use specific nouns.
  • Word play, when it's appropriate and doesn't confuse the reader, is good.
  • If you have to compromise, accurate description is better than catchy; a clear, descriptive title is better than an overly clever one.
Filed under:

Comments

I would argue that these days

Submitted by editor on 9/16/09 1:46am.

I would argue that these days there is actually a triad of considerations so far at titles are concerned: search engines, the reader, and social media. On post titles and social media:

  • Never, ever let your intention to place your post on a social media outlet dictate your title. Unless, that is, you are compelled to make your post relevant for exactly 5 minutes only. You should always always always let the very basics described above dictate your title.
  • Keep in mind that in most cases when you submit a post to social media, you are offered the ability to "break out" of the logical, useful title you have chosen for your post and choose something perhaps a little more catchy or tailor-made to the audience on a social media site. For example, a post titled "Poet Profile: Walt Whitman" is most likely perfect for preserving the internal logic and ease of navigation on your poetry site. This title will likely get you exactly nothing on social media sites, but this does not preclude you from excerpting a key conversation point in your article and submitting that on a social media site as an invitation for conversation.
  • And, keep in mind that social media attention is usually transitory and fleeting at best. A good, solid, logical title that makes perfect sense in the context of your site is ultimately far more useful and productive. A year down the road when your article is properly indexed in the search engines and people continue to return to the post, you will be grateful that you didn't permanently saddle yourself with an "OMG WTF" type title designed for immediate attention. Again, none of this precludes you from "breaking out" from your static, permanent, logical, well thought out title when submitting to a social media outlet. 
  • In summary, let the quality work you have done speak for itself with a smart title (for all time), and let social media work for YOU by being creative in how you represent your post.