How To Write Awesome Clickable Blog Post Titles (with examples)
“If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.” - Elmore Leonard
Blog titles are super-duper important and they have two jobs…
They need to help you rank within search engines and get seen
They need to get people to click on them so that they can read your post
They’re the first thing people see in the search engines when they’re rooting for information and they have got to catch their attention…
If you don’t entice them with your title, they’re gonna just scroll past!
So how do you write a blog post title that stands out from others, but still gets to the point and shows exactly what your post is about?
We’re going to be looking into how to write awesome clickable blog post titles (with examples) very soon, but first, I want to look at some of the key features of putting together a great blog title for all of your posts…
“This post does contain affiliate links throughout and if you make a purchase using one of my links, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you”
What is a Catchy Blog Post Title?
A catchy title is one that captures people’s attention and lets them know what your post or article is going to be all about.
It needs to persuade them to click on the link and go to your post, so they can read more!
Catchy Blog Title Examples
It’s all good and well talking about blog titles, but I wanted to give you a few examples right off the bat, so you can see how easy it is to create titles which can compel and generate clicks!
I’ve put together a list of catchy title ideas below, to help get your creative copywriting juices flowing:
Do You Crave These 6 Sugary Delights (#3 is my fave)
How I Made $10,000 During The Worst Year Of My Life
Is This $10 Garden Tool Actually Worth It?
When I’m Having A Bad Day This Is My Go-To Pick Me Up!
This One Mistake Cost Me Way More Than I Bargained For
Why You Should Steer Clear Of This One Ingredient When Cooking Dinner
You can see that each of these titles is enticing and would definitely make me want to click to find out more.
This is how you need to be putting your blog post titles together.
You need to think about what it is that makes you click on a link when you’re trying to find something out on the internet.
What words stop you in your tracks and encourage you to click!
Check out Your Competitor’s Blog Post Titles
When you’re writing your posts and thinking up your titles, make sure you do some research to see what the articles coming up on page 1 of Google say.
When I typed in “best chocolate brownie mix” you can see some of the titles which came up.
You can get an idea of what kinds of things people are searching for and how the titles are being worded.
Of course, don’t ever copy these titles, but you can get a feel for what search terms people are entering when they’re looking for information on your topic.
How Long Should a Blog Post Title be?
I’ve heard a lot of talk about title lengths and if there’s such a thing!
According to this article from HubSpot, the ideal length for your titles are 60 characters.
For me personally, a title is as long as it needs to be to explain the post and create intrigue, but not so long it’s an essay.
My titles vary in length across my blog posts.
Some are short and to the point, while others are slightly longer.
It really depends on what I’m writing about and the content for the post.
I use an SEO plugin called RankMath Pro and when I’m writing my post inside of WordPress, it will tell me how good the Title Readability is.
You can see in the screenshot above that it looks at:
Whether your focus keyword is used at the beginning of the content
Whether it has a positive or negative sentiment
If it contains a Power Word
Whether you’re using a number within the title
These are some of the best practices for blog titles and they’re good lines to follow, however, do not feel like you need to get all green ticks here.
What matters is how your title reads. It needs to sound natural and compelling, along with being simple and easy to understand.
You also need to make sure the title coincides with what the post’s about, so your readers know what they’re getting…
Should Blog Post Titles be Capitalised?
This is something that plagued me for ages and that’s whether blog post titles should be capitalised.
I’ve tested my posts out with all of the first words having a capital letter and also with some of them not!
To be honest, I don’t think it’s made any difference at all when it comes to the blog traffic going to those posts.
What I would say on this, is maybe capitalise the main words within your title and don’t capitalise words such as “on, and, of, the, to, they” etc…
Really, whatever looks best to you and how you write is what matters.
How to Write Your Blog Post Titles
While most people write their blog posts first and then worry about the title as an afterthought, I do the complete opposite.
This is because, you could write the most unique, awesome post, but if your title sucks – then no one is going to be reading said amazing, awesome post!
I love to concentrate on a really great title first, and then the blog post content usually flows much easier anyway.
I can come back and tweak it to make it better later on, but having that fab title planned out initially helps me massively.
I have a simple blog post writing process…
Know what to write about
Simple outline with bullet points
Write the blog post title
First, I need to know what I’m writing about (which comes from having a Content Calendar.
My Content Calendar has been thought up after a lot of Keyword Research, so I know that the posts I write are what people are actually looking for and wanting to read.
Once I know what I’m writing about, I then do some research and write a very simple outline, with bullet points so I know the basic plan for my post.
This is really important, as you need to know the basics of your post before you can start bulking it out!
Once I’ve got this far – it’s time to focus on the Blog Post Title…
I start by dropping down a few ideas that come into my head, as this gives me something to work with.
I then head-on into a really great tool that helps me put together awesome headlines.
Headline Studio
Within the last few months, I’ve started using a new tool called Headline Studio.
It basically allows you to test out different titles (the pro version allows 25 versions per headline) and it will analyse the title and tell you what you can improve to get a high score.
Above is a screenshot of an overview of the tool and it analyses things such as:
Word Balance
Word Count
Character Count
Headline Type
Reading Grade Level
Sentiment
Clarity
Skimmability
Below you can see in more detail the kinds of things it shows you, plus you can open up word banks and a thesaurus, so you can include the best words within your title, to make them stand out and make an impression!
I have recently upgraded to the Pro version, simply because you have 10 premium headlines a month, which is more than enough, plus you also get the SEO Score given as well, which is super helpful when writing for SEO purposes.
The pro version gives you so much more information when it comes to helping you create the best headlines…
It gives you tons of suggestions for improvement:
Keyword Quality
Keyword Density
Average Monthly Searches
Search Competition
Keyword Trend
Search Preview
Headline Competition
As well as all the above, it also gives you the option to look at “see related keywords” and “explore related keywords”…
The final things it shows are the Top Competitive headlines within the search results, plus keyword variations as well.
It really is a fantastic tool to help you generate the best blog post titles you can…
Elements of a Great Blog Post Title
When it comes to your posts and post titles, there are a few key elements you can follow to make sure your blog post headlines are amazing.
Putting a great post out into the world consists of lots of moving parts and doesn’t just come down to one individual thing.
You need to make sure every post and headline you’re writing is absolutely the best it can be.
Write about something people are interested in
Firstly, you need to make sure you’re writing about something that people are really interested in.
This is the first hurdle because if people aren’t searching for it, then your post is wasted…
I simply typed in “Blog Post Titles” which is the topic of this actual post and you can see in the screenshot above, it has over 164 million searches a month.
When I was researching for this post, I knew that it got a lot of attention and search traffic, so it’s a good topic to write about.
Good keyword research and making sure you know what it is your niche audience wants and needs is imperative.
Would you Read your Blog Post?
This is a big one!
If you were to scroll Google and come across your own blog post title – would you actually stop and read it?
If the answer’s “no” then there’s something wrong.
You can’t expect others to stop and click on your posts if you wouldn’t yourself.
When writing your post titles, sit and think about what would make you stop in your tracks, click the link and make you want to read more.
What makes you think “I want to click on this” when you’re reading posts and articles.
Look at how things are worded and how they are read, and this can help determine how you can write your own post titles.
Reflect the Problem in your Title
Because people are searching the internet for answers to problems, you want to add intrigue into your titles about the problem itself you’re solving, or create some kind of curiosity around a problem.
People love nothing more than finding an answer to that nagging issue they have and if you write your headlines properly, you could be the exact answer they’re looking for!
Some examples of creating curiosity for problems in your titles would be:
Does Your Workwear Wardrobe Suck? (this one staple item will transform your look)
How To Stop Feeling So Exhausted Every Day (get tons more energy with this one simple trick)
How To Get Your Fussy Toddler To Eat Anything (plus 6 of the yummiest snack ideas that are super quick to make)
Here’s What You Don’t Know About Ab Exercises (and they could be harming you)
You get the idea anyway…
One of my most recent blog posts (shown above) has a title which makes you want to click.
If I came across this myself, I absolutely would want to know what time suckers are taking up my day, as sometimes I’ve no clue where all the time goes lol
Create a blog post title that is impactful, intriguing and clickable and people won’t be able to get enough.
Use Numbers in your Titles
Within my own blog posts, I’ve found that the headlines with a number included convert extremely well.
I’ve written many “List” type posts, and they’re my most popular posts.
I’m not sure whether it’s because my audience is mums and we love anything where there’s a list of tips to help us get something done or make something better.
There’s a few ways you can include numbers within your post titles:
Have a Listicle article such as “My 15 Tips To Get Healthier, Shinier Hair”
A Timeframe post such as “Get This Done In 15 Minutes or Less”
An Inclusive post such as “50 Female Entrepreneurs You’ll Want To Follow & Learn From”
A Statistic post such as “How To Increase Your Blog Traffic By 305%”
Sharing numbers also gives your audience an idea of how long the post is going to be.
If you have a post with “100 Tips”, they know it’s gonna be a loooooong read, but if you have a post that simply says “3 Top Tips” – they know it’s going to be a quick, to-the-point read.
It’s all about managing your readers’ expectations and letting them know exactly what they’re going to get once they’ve clicked that headline link…
Statistics are great to use in headlines as they will bring you more traffic and make you more credible.
People love to see data to back things up and statistics will do this.
Include Keywords for Blog Titles
Adding your focus keyword to your blog post title is very, very important.
In fact, it’s crucial!
When you’re carrying out keyword research and are searching for topics to write your posts on, you then need to include those keywords within your title (the main, focus keyword) and throughout your post (your secondary and related keywords).
The primary keyword for the above post was “Make Money Blogging” so I made sure this was within the blog post title itself.
Your posts cannot rank and show within the search engine results pages (SERP) if you aren’t optimising them, so make sure your keyword is within the title (preferably towards the beginning) so you can try and rank for it!
Use Power Words
Power words are exactly that – powerful!
The thing I love about Headline Studio is the Power Wordbank, as you can click this and it will come up with a whole host of words you can use.
It then comes up with loads of “power words” you can use and add to your titles to improve them and make them sound even better.
Below is a small list of “power words” you could use:
Ecstatic
Impatient
Underestimate
Masterful
Passionate
Desire
Winning
Humorous
Deliver what your Title offers
One thing I’ve seen time and time again is an awesome blog title and then when I’ve clicked the link and gone to read the post, it doesn’t actually talk about what the title promised.
This is one of the worst things you can do, so always deliver what it is your title sets out.
If you’re writing a step-by-step guide on how to use a product, make sure you’re actually including a step-by-step process to do this.
Don’t just talk about the benefits and features of the product, as this will only disappoint your readers – tell them exactly how to use it and THEN include some of the benefits/features etc…
Use Language that Talks to Your Audience
Another element you need to think about is how your audience talks.
The language you use is crucial to appealing to them, to make them click those headlines.
If your audience is mums, like me, then the type of language to use is much more casual and friendly, as you want to resonate with them.
If you’re writing for a more corporate audience, then maybe your language would be more formal!
It’s about producing a headline that appeals to your specific niche and audience and don’t worry if you don’t get it right straight away.
The great thing about blog post titles is you can tweak and change them if they’re not working out for you.
Use Triggers
As humans, we need to feel something in order to relate to it.
The feeling you get is what creates a connection and is why when it comes to your copywriting and post titles, you need to trigger something in someone.
When they read your title, they need to be triggered to take action!
The action is – clicking your link to read your post.
Some of the trigger words you can use are:
FREE
Exciting
Proven
Master
Simple
Easy
Useful
Successful
Absolutely
Affordable
Challenge
There are hundreds more words you can use, but these are just a selection of really fab ones for you to try.
What words make a Good Blog Title?
Now we’ve looked at the elements of a brilliant blog post title, let’s get into some of the words you can use.
This is in no way an exhaustive list at all, as there are so many different words you can use, but one thing to think about is to always use words that people can understand and relate to. Words such as:
Irresistible
Catchy
Amazing
Effective
Secret
Actionable
Essential
Fun
Best
Simple
Easy
Source
Free
Guide
Ultimate
Real
Reasons
Immediately
Absolutely
Annoying
Mistakes
So there’s just a few words you can use within your blog post titles to make them compelling and click-worthy…
Use the 5 “W’s”…
A great way to begin your blog title is to use one of the 5 “w’s”…
These are:
Who
What
Why
Where
When
+ How
These are great ways to start blog post headlines and really spark curiosity and interest in people.
An example of each is:
Who Wants Less Stress In Their Mornings (I know I do)
What Makes These Chocolate Brownies So Darn Scrumptious
Why 5 Mompreneurs Made Over $10,000 Their First Month In Business (and how you can too)
Where There’s A Will There’s A Way: 10 Top Tips To Sort Your Pantry Out In Just 1 Hour
When Should You Just Quit Your Blog: How To Know When Enough Is Enough
How To Grow The Juiciest Vine Tomatoes (without a greenhouse)
You can see how you can write great titles using one of the 5 “w’s” that peak curiosity and attract readers to click more.
What Types of Blog Post Titles & Headlines Will Reel Your Readers in & Get More Traffic?
So now we’ve looked at how to write titles and all the different elements that go into creating them, it’s time to check out the types of post titles that will get clicks and drive more traffic to your blog!
I’ve given some of the best and most catchy blog post title formulas I can, along with a few examples for each.
Of course, this list is nowhere near full and complete, as this post would be insanely long and never-ending!
You can literally create all kinds of titles and headlines, but I’ve given what I can…
The “How To” Blog Post Title
One of the most popular blog post titles is the “How To”…
We all want and need to know how to do things and the first place we head to is good old Google.
I don’t recommend all your content should be “How To” as readers will get bored, but having a few posts will definitely allow you to showcase a product in-depth and share how to use it.
You can also share insights into how you get a certain result or outcome on something you’ve been working on.
A few Examples
How To Potty Train Your Toddler In Just 3 Days Without Going Insane
How To Spend More Time on Self Care (plus 6 must-have products all for under $10)
How To Put Together The BEST Healthiest Packed Lunch Your Kids Will Love (and actually eat)
How To Save Money On Your Grocery Shop Every Single Week Without Cutting Back
How To Use ConvertKit And Become An Email Marketing Genius
How To Go From Zero To $10,000 A Month With Your New Mum Blog
The “# of Ways” Blog Post Title
Another really awesome, effective and loved blog post headline is that of the number of ways to…
I love writing (and reading) these posts and listicle-type posts tend to be very popular with my audience of mums.
I love reading them because I know exactly what I’m getting and know roughly how long the post’s going to be.
A few Examples
7 Ways To Use Canva Differently That No One Else Is Doing Yet (jump on it right now)
10 Ways To Get Your Baby To Sleep Without Using A Pacifier
12 Ways To Help You Stop Eating Junk Food That’s Destroying Your Health
5 Ways To Feel More Energised Every Morning Without Hitting The Coffee
8 Ways You Can Earn Extra Cash As A Busy Stay-At-Home Mum
6 Ways To Tone Up & Feel The Best Version Of Yourself Ever
The “What” Blog Post Title
Next up is the “what” post title.
Another great one to use and also very popular.
Check out some of the examples below…
A few Examples
What This Trending App Can Reveal About Your Lifestyle
What Everyone Wants To Get Their Hands On This Summer (be the first to grab it)
What This One Amazing Beauty Product Did For My Skin (and how I’ll use it forever)
What Mobile Device Is Best For A Pre-Teen
What Was Voted The Best Chocolate Bar Of All Time (the answer will definitely surprise you)
What Is This Brand New Gadget All About (it’s shockingly cool)
The “Why” Blog Post Title
I love the “why” titles, as it always reminds me of when my boys were going through that stage of asking “why” all the time lol…
Every time I come across a “why” post now, it takes me back to that time…
A few Examples
Why Your Houseplants Never Survive (plus 10 things you can do to fix this)
Why I Never Go To Bed Early (and how I feel so much better for it)
Why Going To This Country Made Me Change My Life
Why Toddler Tantrums Are Actually Good For Your Child
Why These 5 Things Will Help Your Mindset Today
Why Coffee Makes You Feel Dizzy (and how you can stop it)
The “Ultimate Guide” Blog Post Title
I love an Ultimate Guide, especially if I’m trying to learn something new and want to know all about it.
An Ultimate Guide is a one-stop shop for knowing everything about that particular topic and can be a great traffic driver.
A few Examples
The Ultimate Guide To Caravanning On A Budget in 2022
An Ultimate Guide To SEO To Get You Ranking Higher
The Ultimate Guide To The Best Vegan Makeup On The Market
An Ultimate Guide To Winter Gardening (with free tip sheet)
The Ultimate Guide To Trending Hairstyles for Boys This Year
An Ultimate Guide For Bread Making At Home
The “Best” Blog Post Title
I don’t know about you, but when I see a headline titled “the best”… I instantly want to click on it because you know, I want the best haha!
These also get a lot of clicks because when people come across them, they get drawn to the fact “it’s the best”…
A few Examples
The Best Way To Lose Weight Without The Constant Cravings
The Best Ways To Do Sit-Ups & See Results Faster
The Best Workouts To Do When You Only Have 10 Minutes A Day
The Best Way To Pack Your Case For Vacation (say goodbye to creased clothing)
The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever
10 Of My Best YouTube Video Tricks I’ve Never Shared Before
The “Versus” Blog Post Title
Have you ever wanted to buy something, but there’s so many choices available and you don’t know which one to go for!
This is where a “versus” post can come in real handy.
You can give comparisons between a couple of products that do the same things and help a reader decide which one to go for!
A few Examples
ConvertKit vs. MailChimp: What I Really Think About Them Both
Acrylic vs. Gel: Which Is Really Best For Your Nails
Divi vs. Astra: Two Of The Best WordPress Themes But Which One Should You Choose
Foundation vs. Tinted Moisturiser: How Each Affects Your Skin
Moving House vs. Staying Put: Why Renovations Are So Popular Right Now
Spray Tan vs. DIY Tanning: Can You Tell The Difference
The “Going Against The Grain/Controversial” Blog Post Title
There’s nothing like a blog post title which completely goes against the grain and norm of everyone else.
I mean, who wouldn’t want to click on something that is rash, out there and not the usual thing you’d find on the internet.
A few Examples
These 3 Fatty Foods Are Healthy & Will Actually Help You Lose Weight
Why Going Totally Vegan May Be Bad For You
Why You Won’t Make Money Blogging Anytime Soon
Your YouTube Channel Totally Sucks (but you can change that)
Why I’m Glad 10,000 Email Subscribers Left My Email List
Blogging Is Completely Dead: Or Is It?
There are obviously hundreds more variations of blog post titles you can write and some of these include:
The Truth About…
Give Me This…
Are You…
Using This Will…
The Traits that…
Reasons Why…
You Don’t Have To Be…
The Benefit Of…
The Simple…
The Easy…
The Secret To…
A Quick Way To…
Do This…
Try This…
But even with this list, there’s still tons more and you can literally come up with so many blog post title ideas.
Blog Titles Generator Tools
The last thing I want to mention in this post is a couple of free tools you can use to help you with your blog post titles.
I already mentioned Headline Studio above, which is a free and paid tool, but the two tools below are also really awesome and will give you some great ideas to add to your blog post title bank!
Blogabout
This tool is super simple to use. You just add in a keyword and keyword type and click Generate titles.
It will then come up with awesome titles and if you like them, you can save them to lists or you can download them.
Portent Idea Generator
Another great tool to help you is the Portent Idea Generator.
You simply enter a subject and then click “Generate Idea”.
You’ll then get the first title idea and you can save it, see another title and also change the subject from this screen too.
Let’s Wrap Things Up!
So that’s it for today’s post!
We’ve covered a lot of info in regards to blog post titles, so here’s a super quick recap:
Check out your competitors on Google to see what their titles are
Use your Primary Keyword within your post title
Use a tool like Headline Studio to help you out with title creation
Make sure your title reflects what your post is about
Would you read your post? If not, change it so you would
Reflect on the problem you’re solving with your post in the title
Use numbers in your headline
Use Power Words/Emotional Trigger words
Use simple, easy and to-the-point language
Use the 5 “w’s” (who, what, where, why & when + how as well) to help you
Look at the types of blog post titles you can write, including “how-to, # of ways, what, why, the ultimate guide, the best, the versus and the going against the grain…
When you start your blog, it’s really important to write for your readers and to write naturally and sound like you!
It’s all good and well-using tools to help you, but don’t let them take away from writing as you because that’s what makes you unique and stand out.
Writing headlines is all about testing and seeing what works and remember, you can go back and tweak and change them if they’re not performing or giving you the results you want.
Be creative and daring, test out something that may go against the grain – you never know, it may be THE headline that drives a ton of traffic and gets you to page 1 on Google…
