How to write titles for your blog posts

IT is great to see both Roger and Kerrie have taken to their blogs and started writing. And if you want to join them here are some tips on making effective use of one of the most important parts of a blog - the title you actually give an individual post. The title is the signpost to both people and search engines to what the story is about, it is seen right at the top of your web browser, in links from elsewhere on the site and in the listings of search results. As you can see it is an important part of your online presence, get it right and you can see readers landing on your page for weeks if not years to come. What I write here also relates to the title that people give individual posts on the forum as well. So the best title is one that describes the actual story you've written and has an eye on how people search, and in the landscaping world maybe throws in a location or two. I know Roger and Kerrie won't mind if I use their recent stories as examples: - Solutions We might struggle here to get an understanding of what Roger is writing about, I know search engines will. The story is actually about a date palm and the work he undertook, so we could instead use: - Pruning and bringing to life a date palm in Tarragona This has the word pruning in, a phrase people may use when searching for 'tips on pruning a date palm', we also have a touch of intrigue with the 'bringing to life' phrase and finally the tree's name 'date palm' is again likely to be something people search for. And I've thrown in a location for good measure. Kerrie's piece is an interesting one as her story relates to possible search terms people might be using at the moment when trying selling their house: - IDEAS FOR A GREAT ENTRANCE! First off, and more a stylistic one really, it's best not to use uppercase, it's not easy to read on screen and is considered as though you are shouting at someone. As for the headline itself, well the story is about making the best of your garden and plants if trying to sell your house, there is a good chance that stories on this subject are likely to be popular at the moment, so we could instead use: - Tips for the garden when selling your house The thing to keep in mind is that people do not see the whole article you have written, they are often seeing search page results or a simple link from other sites, so impact headlines, or ones that try a play on words won't prove as successful. And if you are wondering if it's worth the effort, well newspapers are teaching their staff to rewrite headlines that appeal to search engines and the way people operate online, and I know of people who have written pieces more than three years ago, but that still bring customers regularly to their site.

If you are thinking of writing a blog or forum post or even contributing to a topic that has been started by someone else, please consider your title, the content of your post and what legacy you can leave for those who may benefit from the information in the future.

I would encourage all members to read Craig's original post first about the importance of the title. Secondly, think outside the box - LJN is deliberately open so that people, inside and out, may benefit from the site's strong information sharing capabilities.

As Craig says, the title of a post is the signpost; once you have pressed the publish button, the title becomes both the question and the answer on the world wide web - the content that is subsequently added will add strength and value to the original question.

Think about your own interrogation of the search engine; you want an answer to a question so you ask the search engine a question - it's exactly the same for a potential reader who may be looking for the information contained within one of your posts.

Example:

'Sun rise' - it's a long shot; even if you know what you're looking to find in the answers, the search engine doesn't and it will return as many results as it can with those two words - Google sees your question as two dimensional and it cannot interpret what you mean.

Of course, what you want to ask, is 'why does the sun rise in the morning?' and if you put the exact phrase into Google, the chances are the top search results will be narrowed down to answer your question.

If you are thinking of buying a new mower - don't just write the word 'mower', think about the question and its potential answer. If you want to ask what is the most popular mower on the market then make the question the title (of course, add the word 'lawn' to increase the chances of getting the strongest results) this will not only help other members successfully interpret what you are actually asking it will also enable future members to find the topic easily.

Thirdly, your question will also leave a legacy on the internet for future members to find.

If you are answering someone else's question and you can direct them to the answer either within this site or somewhere else on the internet, then write anchor text (as close to the title of the blog or form post you are liking to) and link to the other information.

The more in-bound and out-bound links bringing in and sending out to relative places, the stronger the information will become.

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Comments

PRO

Phil Voice October 16, 2008 at 9:36am

A great piece Craig and thank you.

I have conducted an exercise in the last three months whereby I have ploughed through about ten or fifteen percent of my earliest posts on Landscape Juice and edited titles to more accurately reflect the content.

I have also edited and introduced more photographs and included proper titles that reflect the post and I always try and take a photo or use one or my archives that are assisting my story.

I see a lot of blogs that use a stock or creative commons photo all too often than does not represent the content of the post.

Both Roger and Kerrie have tied their story in brilliantly with their photos; as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.
vhowe October 16, 2008 at 10:30am

this is just the kind of help I need
dgeorgea January 23, 2009 at 11:20am

I have been using forums for around 10 years now and must agree that titles can make a huge differance. Some readers have little more to do than read, but a large majority of readers have lives away from the forums and titles are often all they have to go on to decide if they are going to bother reading or not.

I try to keep my titles related to what I am talking about so people can choose not to read what I have written if it is not of interest to them. After all there is nothing more frustrating if you have limited time and you feel 'duped' into reading something you were not expecting or interested in.

Having said that, there are features here that I've not seen easily available in other forums. Such as including photos to illustrate a post, or the inclusion of tags to help non members find articles, might take me a litte while to get used to these ideas and start using them.
PRO

Craig McGinty January 23, 2009 at 12:45pm

Titles really are a sign-post for both people and search engines, as you say taking a little time to make sure they are helpful and descriptive makes all the difference.

And you are right that the network has a few more tools to play with than a regular forum, I'd see the site more as a publishing vehicle and explore what it has to offer.

For example, it wouldn't be too difficult to write a blog post once a month highlighting the work being undertaken on a project.

Any questions just shout.
PRO

Phil Voice March 10, 2010 at 8:14am

If you are thinking of writing a blog or forum post or even contributing to a topic that has been started by someone else, please consider your title, the content of your post and what legacy you can leave for those who may benefit from the information in the future.

I would encourage all members to read Craig's original post first about the importance of the title. Secondly, think outside the box - LJN is deliberately open so that people, inside and out, may benefit from the site's strong information sharing capabilities.

As Craig says, the title of a post is the signpost; once you have pressed the publish button, the title becomes both the question and the answer on the world wide web - the content that is subsequently added will add strength and value to the original question.

Think about your own interrogation of the search engine; you want an answer to a question so you ask the search engine a question - it's exactly the same for a potential reader who may be looking for the information contained within one of your posts.

Example:

'Sun rise' - it's a long shot; even if you know what you're looking to find in the answers, the search engine doesn't and it will return as many results as it can with those two words - Google sees your question as two dimensional and it cannot interpret what you mean.

Of course, what you want to ask, is 'why does the sun rise in the morning?' and if you put the exact phrase into Google, the chances are the top search results will be narrowed down to answer your question.

If you are thinking of buying a new mower - don't just write the word 'mower', think about the question and its potential answer. If you want to ask what is the most popular mower on the market then make the question the title (of course, add the word 'lawn' to increase the chances of getting the strongest results) this will not only help other members successfully interpret what you are actually asking it will also enable future members to find the topic easily.

Thirdly, your question will also leave a legacy on the internet for future members to find.

If you are answering someone else's question and you can direct them to the answer either within this site or somewhere else on the internet, then write anchor text (as close to the title of the blog or form post you are liking to) and link to the other information.

The more in-bound and out-bound links bringing in and sending out to relative places, the stronger the information will become.
PRO

Phil Voice September 6, 2010 at 7:49am

Can I just remind you to think about titles when adding a photo, blog ;post or forum discussion.

Try to think about what your writing in a global way and remember that the content you are adding is a potential advert or a very important source of helpful information to someone searching on the same subject; anywhere in the world.