This information provided by Helium member John McDevitt

How do you like the title I’ve put on the first line? Kind of boring, huh? I could have used “The Title Manual.” That’s just as bad—if not worse. OK, what do you think of “Title secrets that stop readers in their tracks and compel them to keep reading”? A bit long? How about “Titles that grab your readers by the throat”? Still long and maybe a bit over the top? Let’s try “Titles that compel.” Here’s another: “Titles: The good, the bad and the ugly.”

I won’t claim that any of those titles are great ones, but you would understand every one of them, especially the last one. Not true of the web bots that search the Internet for good matches to your search. Those examples would have them spinning in circles, lights flashing. The bots might come up with keywords, but the keywords wouldn’t do you a bit of good because they wouldn’t match your intentions.

Spiders and web crawlers need specific information. You will get a much better response from the bots with titles such as “How to write a good title” or “Title writing basics.” The rules have changed for writing and titling for the Internet. You must attract and appeal to both audiences: the robots and your intended readers. Exclude either group and your success is doomed.

A good title needs to be both searchable and compelling (it must grab the reader’s attention). But a good Helium title must do more: Specific enough to avoid ambiguity, yet general enough to invite other members to contribute to the title. Without good titles, our articles will be cast into oblivion, lost on the back roads of the web. A good title-writer can put Helium titles on the Internet autobahn passing lane and rocket them from web query to Helium at warp speed. Are you up for the challenge?

WHAT GOES INTO A GREAT TITLE?

INFORMATIVE: The title tells web browsers what to expect when they read the article, a promise of what’s to come. Fail to deliver on that promise in the article and you’ll lose your reader in a keystroke.

KEYWORD PHRASE SMART: Think like a person browsing the web for answers: How would normal people phrase their questions? Would you say “Embellishing your nails” or “Making your nails shine”? More likely, you’d say something like “Painting your nails.” The closer your keyword phrases come to a typical web query, the higher in the search engine list your title will appear.

PRECISE: If you mean “fingernails (or toenails)” then say so. The average carpenter probably won’t paint his nails, but you never know. Be specific enough to avoid confusion. You’ll almost always get a better ranking with a narrower search phrase.

ENGAGING: When the web search gets a list of hits, grab the reader’s attention and make the Helium title stand out from the crowd. Suppose a web surfer posts a query such as “painting nails.” Your title could be:

• How to paint your fingernails (direct, but bland)
• Painting your fingernails (direct, but no energy—yawn)
• Painting your fingernails like a professional (direct but rare word—“professional”)
• Paint your fingernails like a pro (pro is much better plus you get rid of the weak “ing”)
• Painting your fingernails: Get the nail salon look without the cost (too long with a weak “ing”)
• Paint your own fingernails: Avoid nail salon costs (direct, engaging, succinct)

An engaging title hooks a reader’s eye by using energetic language and sells the reader on why he should read it. It may be hard to guess what will grab the web searcher’s attention. Always focus on benefits. People perk up when they think they’ll benefit. And no reader wants to waste time: Be clear and to the point. Let’s put all this together with an easy to remember S.U.I.T. acronym . . .

Follow these guidelines and you’ll be sure your title “suits” Helium’s goals.

SEARCH: Take off your writer’s hat and think like a person searching the web for information. Get into the mind of your intended audience of readers. What phrases are they likely to use? SEO or search engine optimization is critical for getting our titles listed high on search lists. Weave that vital keyword phrase into your title.

UNAMBIGUOUS: Ambiguity is a title killer. When your title is ambiguous, you invite off-topic articles and confuse readers. You can never depend on a writer to pay attention to the channel. Compare these before and after examples:

• PMI explained vs. Private mortgage insurance (PMI) explained
• What are LEAPs? Vs. What are LEAP (long-term stock options) investments?

INTERESTING: When people searching for info find your title, you want to tweak their interest enough to read the article. Compel the reader to stop and explore. An interesting title will:

• Arouse reader curiosity.
• Sell a reader on the benefits of reading further.
• Invite input. A question title pulls the reader into the article to find the answer, but be careful how you use questions. You don’t want the reader to answer without reading and that’s just what a yes/no questions does.

Pay attention to your subhead. The one I use above is a question, to pull the reader in. Try to capture the reader’s interest. Show your reader a benefit, a curiosity, a reason to read the article. Avoid cute or clever—neither will give you an effective title.

Timeless—never outdated: Helium needs articles with a long shelf-life and readers want timely, topical subjects. The best titles stand the test of time and do not become obsolete. A perfect example of a short-lived title was one I received on New Year’s Eve about year-end tax tips. A bit late? Yep, that one went right into the trash bin.

THE GRAMMAR OF SEO TITLES

Grammar? Wait—come back! I didn’t mean to scare you off like that. This isn’t your stern English teacher talking. Grammar just happens to have a few neat analogies for explaining how to craft an effective title.

A sentence is a complete thought. A title should be complete and able to stand on its own—just like a sentence.

In “The Elements of Grammar,” Margaret Shertzer describes the parts of a sentence. “The subject of a sentence is the person, object, or idea being described. The predicate is the explanation of the action, condition, or effect of the subject.”

It’s not too much of a stretch to describe an SEO title using the same terminology. The subject of the title is the keyword phrase, the predicate explains and completes the thought. The keyword phrase is the subject of the title and should come first. The title’s “predicate” assures a complete title that can stand on its own.

• Subject + Predicate = Sentence
• Topic (SEO keyword phrase) + Energetic verb = SEO effective and engaging title

A well-chosen title is complete because it identifies the topic clearly. The SEO-friendly subject focuses your title and your verb choice adds energy. This is how you appeal to both audiences, SEO bots and your audience of readers.

• Compare this before and after title fix
• Poorly formed title: What NOT to Buy at a Dollar Store
• Well-structured title: Bargain shopping: Dollar store deals to avoid
• While the meaning of the first title is clear to a person reading the title, too much is implied and the first six words are not SEO keywords. The only keyword in the entire title is “Dollar Store”
• The topic is really about bargain shopping and what not to buy at the dollar store.

The second title immediately has “Bargain shopping” as a keyword to be scooped up by the web spiders. Dollar store (and perhaps deals) will also be scooped up as SEO keywords.

Are these titles better than the titles at the beginning of this article? They are illustrations of how you might combine SEO with reader interest with an almost complete thought. Almost, because you want your audience to read on to discover the answers.

• “Title writing: How to tap the reptilian brain of your reader”
• “How to write an irresistible title”

Crafting a good title isn’t easy. In fact, the best copywriters will write dozens, even hundreds of headlines to find the right one. Play a bit. Write a dozen titles of your own on the topic of title writing. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.