Spending 5 hours writing a blog post but only a few minutes writing the blog post title? You need to reconsider. [It should take at least 30 minutes based on our case study]

How to write a blog post title [In Depth Guide]

When a search is made on Google, there are search results.

Does your blog post show up or does your blog post title show up? If your blog post title is powerful, your CTR [Click Through Rate] will skyrocket.

Even if it doesn’t convert on its own, it’ll still stall users for enough time to make them read the meta description, which will further increase the conversion rate [Read our in depth guide on writing dominating meta descriptions].

If your blog post title is sh*t, well, chirp chirp. This article will cover how you can write a catchy blog post title for your next posts. Keep reading.

How to write a blog post title for SEO

How do you plan to get traffic to your blog post? Is it via social platforms? Or via search engines [Like Google]?

If you plan to get traffic from Google, your title can’t be a random clickbait title.

Because on social platforms, traffic flow happens based on attention. So, the post that catches the most attention will get the most views. [Learn about 13+ methods from our guide on increasing blog post traffic].

But, on Google, traffic flow happens based on search queries. So, suppose your blog post is based on the keyword “A”.

If a user searches for the keyword “A”, that’s when you should show up.

This is the difference between a user actively and passively searching for something. [Learn more about a user’s search intent to improve your ranking in the SERPs]

Users actively search for something on Google, whereas passively on search platforms

[Passively means they aren’t searching for it unless it catches their eyes, whereas actively means they want to see it].

So, if you’re using Google to get traffic, that means there are a lot of titles you cant use.

There are rules your blog post title needs to follow to maximize the traffic you get.

The title should represent the topic

Keep in mind, your title should represent the topic of your blog post.

Google hates it when the title promises one thing and delivers something completely different [Avoid clickbait].

Learn more than 30+ methods to gather blog post topics [Which can produce some deadly titles].

Don’t keep the blog post title below 60 characters

Most blogs out there teach to keep your blog post title under 60 characters. It’s so Google doesn’t cut it off, like the title shown below.

A blog post title gets cut off if it's over 60+ characters

Is it bad if your blog post title gets cut off?

Not at all. It doesn’t make a difference if the rest of the title is not shown.

As long as the important part of your title is in the front and doesn’t get cut off, it’s not a problem.

This way, you can include more details to better explain the content to Google and the users [if the users click on it].

Plus, you can use the cutoff feature to your advantage.

The Title Cut Off advantage

Since the title get’s cut off, if it’s too long, you can use that as a cliffhanger. With the rights words.

For example, using the example above, the last words of the title were “[+ Free Blog…”

This is a cliffhanger because you want to know what the rest of the title is going to say. As a result, you’ll want to click on it.

This acts as clickbait. For example, using words like Free or Includes at the end creates suspense.

Since most blogs don’t use this, you can gain a sharp edge over your competition in CTR [click through rate].

Because you have great content, and just need people to click on your search result. This can make it happen

Include keywords in the blog post title

The blog post title, also known as the title tag, is important when determining what your blog post is about.

So, make sure your title is well optimized and has the main keyword in it.

Plus, have the keyword at the very start of the title.

So, when Google is crawling it, it knows immediately what keyword the blog post content is targeting. Check out our guide on keyword research & optimization to improve your title and the entire blog post.

Important Note: Do not overstuff the title with keywords. Google hates keyword overstuffing.

Update the title often

Remember, the title doesn’t need to remain the same forever. You can always split test it on a monthly basis to see how it affects your ranking on the SERPs. So edit it often [The title is just one thing that should be edited that’s covered in our guide on how to edit a blog post].

How to write a blog post title for users [6 Tips]

Often, blog writers will try to focus on either making the title SEO friendly or user friendly. Learn more about how a blog post is SEO optimized.

Because doing both is very difficult. To make a title SEO friendly, it needs to have the keywords in it, and at the start.

This already places restrictions on the different ways you could start the blog post title that catches more attention.

Plus, the title should explicitly tell the user what the blog post will be about.

To make it user friendly, the blog post title has to pique the interest of a user, with less common words [Heavy words], numbers, and questions, that won’t meet SEO requirements.

But what if you wrote the keyword in the front, and followed it with an interesting question on the topic [which is indirectly covered in the blog post] to pique user interest?

And pair that up with brackets and cliffhangers at the end [with the cut off advantage]?

This is hard to do for every blog post title you write, but it should be used as part of the process and something you try to accomplish with each title.

This way, your titles will start ranking on search results, as well as improve your click through rate.

Use brackets in your blog post title

Brackets make a title look better in general, as well as show more details about the content.

Most search results won’t have brackets, so using them will make you stand out.

As mentioned above, when using the cut off advantage, you want to end the cut off section with a word that builds suspense.

It increases the suspense when the last words are within a bracket.

Usually, brackets are used to provide specific or secretive detail about something.

You can place the year of the content [2023], as well as any resources you may provide. For example:

“Web Hosting: 10 best web hosting providers [2023 Updated Guide]“

“Web Hosting: 10 best web hosting providers [With limited discount offers]“

Now if the cut off took place, the above title would be seen as

“Web Hosting: 10 best web hosting providers [2023 Updated …“

“Web Hosting: 10 best web hosting providers [With limited …“

It obviously creates suspense, and users want to know what the rest is saying.

Is it a novel or a speed read? [Specific in the title]

Another thing you can add within the title is how long will it take to go through the information.

Because, of some topics and queries, people either want a quick walk through or a long novel guide.

For queries having “quick” or “fast”, if you have a blog post title having those very words, users will definitely click on that.

For queries having “in depth” “tutorial” or “guide”, users want a long guide.

So, if you’re blog post is a quick walkthrough on a topic or process, include the word “quick” in your blog post title. For example,

Top 10 Quick Breakfast Recipes [Free Recipe Book]
How to paint your room [Quick Tutorial]

If it’s a long depth blog post, include words like “guide” or “in depth” in the blog post title. For example,

How to write a blog post [In depth guide]
A Guide to writing blog posts that rank [2023 Updated]

Make the title HEAVY

Heavy words, also known as impactful words can affect users emotionally. And, they build more strength in the blog post title. Words like

Absolutely
Affordable
Irresistible
Practical

Simply open a dictionary. And search for words that are not used often in verbal language.

When such words are used, they bring a heavier impact to the blog post title’s meaning.

Check out this list of powerful words you can implement in your title.

Use clickbait in the title

Using heavy words and questions that pique interest tends to make up unique clickbait like a copy for the blog post title.

And, it’s the best way to stand out amongst the search results.

Because almost every search result is titled the same for a search query [As they all want to target the keywords the best for SEO].

Clickbait copy is when you promise something but don’t deliver it in the content. You shouldn’t do that.

But, you should take your content, and think of the different questions and topics it covers.

And try turning those questions/ topics into something way more interesting [using heavy words, or uncommon questions].

For example, the following blog post title is a search result:

“How to write a blog post [In Depth Guide]“

But you can turn it into

“How to write a blog post: Secrets uncovered [Not for beginners]“

Now, that’s not clickbait, if your blog covers advanced level topics. But, it gives that clickbait effect, that makes people want to click it.

Avoid cliches in blog post titles

Cliches are extremely overused phrases that almost everyone hates. This also includes spam words.

For example, using the word “Ultimate” in “Ultimate Guide” in a blog post title. It doesn’t sound bad but, it’s found in every guide out there.

Users have seen it so much, they ignore it if they see it in search results. So, just switch it up. Use another word like “Colossal Guide”.

It has the same meaning, but it sounds much better [Since you haven’t seen the word Colossal as much as Ultimate].

I’m sure you’ve heard that “you can’t judge a book by its cover” [Haa, that was a cliche word, and I’m sure that triggered you], but the title can “make or break” your page [That was another cliche right there, I’m just trying to prove a point].

Here is a list of cliches that you should try to avoid.

Use numbers in the title

If you’re reading a block of text, your eyes will automatically scan and stop when it sees numbers.

Because you’ll always wonder what the number is about. You can try it out. Numbers pique our interest more than text.

So, if your blog post is a list or tutorial or even a process, it’ll have a number. Use that numbering in your blog post title.

For example, if your blog post is about 15 different methods of preparing a salad, have a blog post title like:

“15 Unusual ways to prep that salad [& 1 secret recipe]”

9 Blog post title examples [That EXCEL at SEO]

Now, it’s time to see 9 examples of blog post titles that excel at being SEO and user friendly. Simply, search on Google.

But, the search has to be related to SEO or anything website related.

Because, in these niches, everyone is aware of the importance of a good blog post title, and will put in a real effort [as well as their competition].

So, these niches will show you the best blog post titles. For example, here is the following search made on backlinks:

This was the first result

Blog post title example — Blog post example 1

This is called a featured snippet and is another SEO ranking strategy. Anyways, check out the blog post title.

“How to get high quality backlinks in 2022”

The user wants to know how to build backlinks [based on the search query].

This title tells them how to get backlinks, but more specifically, “High quality” backlinks.

This piques the interest of the user, as they’d realize there are high and low quality backlinks out there.

Plus, they include the date, which tells users that this content is up to date.

On top of that, they use brackets and involve the number “7”, and suspense-building words, “New strategies”.

This is something that most users will end up clicking on.

Google realizes this, which is why it’s the first result. Here are the next results. Keep in mind, these results are using combinations of the concepts discussed above:

“How to Get Backlinks (15 Quick and Simple Strategies)”
- Uses the focus keyword at the start “How to Get Backlinks“
- Uses the number “15“
- Uses brackets
- Uses Adverbs like “Quick and Simple“
“11 Creative (But 100% White Hat!) Ways to Earn Backlinks in …”
- Uses the number “11“
- Uses brackets
- Uses the Cut Off strategy “…” that builds suspense
“How to Get Backlinks for a New Site with No Money – Neil Patel”
- Uses the focus keyword at the start “How to Get Backlinks“
- Gets really specific with who the intended user is [To make it more click worthy for the intended user]. The intended user is creating a new site and has no money.
“How to Get Backlinks: 11 Strategies – SEMrush”
- Uses the focus keyword at the start “How to Get Backlinks“
- Uses the number “11“

10 Smart Ways to Earn or Build Backlinks to Your Website
- Uses the number “10“
- Uses the adjective “Smart“
How to Get Backlinks: 15 Proven Tactics – Ahrefs
- Uses the focus keyword at the start “How to Get Backlinks“
- Uses the number “15“
- Uses the adjective “Proven“
5 Steps to Get Quality Backlinks for Free – WordStream
- Uses the number “5“
- Uses the adjective “Free” & “Quality“
How to Get Backlinks: 15 Proven Strategies (2022) – Shopify
- Uses the focus keyword at the start “How to Get Backlinks“
- Uses the number “15“
- Uses the adjective “Proven“
- Uses brackets

Most of these blog post titles are using the concepts discussed above, and that’s the reason they’re the top results.

Different blog post title types

Here’s a list of the different blog post title types you can write. Most of your blog posts will follow one of the following formats.

These formats will highly depend on the type of blog post they’re for. Check out our guide on blog post types to learn about the 13 types of articles you can create. And, use these as inspiration.

Listicle blog post title

The listicle title makes use of numbers. As mentioned earlier, numbers are great eye catchers.

Especially numbers that aren’t commonly used. Here are 5 blog post title examples that are listicles:

“77 Breakfast Recipes That Make It Easy to Rise and Shine”
“120+ Easy Breakfast Recipe Ideas Budget Bytes”
“14 Best Web Hosting Services Compared; Real Data”
“101 Catchy Blog Title Formulas To Boost Traffic By 438%”
“35 Iconic Places to Visit in Ontario, Canada | The Planet D”

“How To” blog post title

The “How To” title is for tutorial based content, where you show users how to do something, step by step.

Here are 5 blog post title examples that are “How To”:

“How to build your own home – A step by step guide”
“How to Set up a Website in 2022 An Updated Beginner’s Guide”
“How To Build A Robot: The Complete Guide – Sphero”
“How To Build a Large Software Project Alone, From Scratch”
“Step by Step Guide on How to Do an Engine Replacement”

Question blog post title

The question based title focuses on asking questions, that the user is asking themselves.

When a user sees that question they searched for as a title, they are more inclined to click on it [I don’t know, some psychology sh*t].

Here are 5 blog post title examples that ask questions:

“What is a VPN? Virtual Private Network meaning – NordVPN”
“What is an Autonomous Car? – How Self-Driving Cars Work”
“What Can’t You Bring On A Plane? – The Art Of Traveling Light”
“Where is the best place to build a nice house in Canada?”
“Can Exercise After Eating Heck Up Your Workout … – Greatist”

“Mistakes” blog post title

The “Mistake” title uses the word “Mistake”, to catch user’s attention. As you know, humans are always attracted to the negative side of things.

Rather, we learn and engage better with it. So, instead of having a title of “10 tips to improve your blog post”, have “10 Mistakes that ruin your blog post’s chances of ranking”.

We all will click on the 2nd one. Here are 4 blog post title examples that use the word “Mistakes”:

“Graphics Device Mistakes You Can Fix With Error Code 43″
“20 Blogging Mistakes to Avoid in 2022, According to HubSpot …”
“5 Common Eating Habit Mistakes | Credihealth Blog”
“30 Mistakes Programmers Make While Coding”

“Fix” blog post title

The “Fix” title provides you with solutions to fix your needs. It’s also great at piquing curiosity. Here are 3 blog post title examples that use the word “Fix”:

Fix your car seat with 3 modifications
Here are 7 Fixes to save your back when you turn 40
10 Fixes to avoid burning out during a workout

“In-depth guide” blog post title

The “In-depth guide” title is perfect for lengthy guides that cover everything on a particular topic.

And people love clicking when they see this word. Because it gives them the feeling that all their questions will be answered.

Here are 5 blog post title examples that implement the word “In-depth guide”:

“How to Write a Blog Post: The Definitive Guide – Backlinko”
“Car Troubleshooting and Symptom Guide – RepairPal”
“A Complete Guide to Accurate Weather Forecasting – IBM”
“Dropshipping for Dummies: A Beginner’s Guide to Dropshipping”
“Classic WoW Cooking Leveling Guide 1-300″

‘Keyword At The Front’ blog post title

The ‘Keyword at the front’ title has your blog post’s focus keyword at the front [For SEO purposes].

This works great when users are specifically searching for that focus keyword.

Here are 4 blog post title examples that place the focus keyword at the front:

“Blog SEO: The Complete Guide – Backlinko”
“Blog SEO: Tips to Optimize Your Blog Posts – SEMrush”
“Topical Authority Is the New Keyword for Research”
“Blogging: What Is It? – The Balance”

Note: Having it at the front isn’t necessary, it can be anywhere in the title, as long as it’s present.

“Increase” blog post title

The “Increase” title utilizes the word “Increase”, which is a powerful word that grabs user attention.

Here are 5 blog post title examples that use “Increase”:

“10 Proven Ways to Increase Website Traffic”
“9 Ways to Increase Restaurant Foot Traffic | Thanx”
“14 Ways to Improve Your Grades if You’re Underperforming”
“9 Awesome Ways to Boost Sales – B2B Marketing”
“9 Steps to Building a Strong and Efficient Team – Masterclass”

“Versus” blog post title

The “versus” title brings an element of comparison to the title. And everyone loves comparisons.

Here are 5 blog post title examples that use the word “comparison”:

“Shopify vs WordPress (2022) — Which is Better? – Style Factory”
“2022 Honda Accord vs. 2022 Mercedes-Benz A-Class“
“Condo Vs. Townhouse: How Are They Different?”
“LED vs. LCD TVs explained: What’s the difference?”
“APR vs Interest Rate – What is the Difference – Bank of America”

5 blog post title generators

Here are 5 blog post title generators [FREE and Premium tools] that you can use to get ideas for titles. [But, in our opinion, the best method to get title ideas is by checking out Google search results]

Check out our huge list of 78 blogging tools that can alos benefit your blog in ways you wouldn’t imagine.

89 Blog post title ideas

Here are 89 blog post title ideas you can use right now. Keep in mind, most of these examples are not SEO friendly, and rather to grab user attention.

So they are great to get attention from social platforms and your email list. But, they may not rank as well on the SERPs.

Replace the “____” with the focus keyword [or other words, if you can think of any], and replace the letter X with a number.

The words in italics are word options you can choose from [So select one of them; Some will be in brackets just to make it clear which words are considered options]:

“How To Learn/ Find/ Do/ Make/ Build/ Create ____ [In X Steps > Optional]”
“X Secrets/ Myths/ Lies You Didn’t Know About ____”
“X Lies You’ve Been Told About ____”
“X Myths About ____ You Probably Still Believe”
“X Things/ Concepts/ Points We Learned From ____”
“X Predictions About the Future of ____”
“The Best/ Worst Advice You Can Hear About ____”
“Read What These X Experts/ Scholars Have to Say About ____”
“Why We Love ____ (and You Should Too!)”
“____ 101: All the Basics/ Everything You Need to Know”
“[A/ An/ The] [Beginner’s/ Intermediate/ Expert’s/ Inovator’s/ Practical/ Frugal] Guide to ____”
“The Ultimate [List of Resources/ Checklist/ Cheat Sheet] for ____”
“X Videos About ____ You Must Watch”
“X ____ Podcasts You Need To Listen To”
“The X Blogs On ____ You Need to Be Reading”
“X Reasons Your ____ Isn’t Working”
“How to Troubleshoot ____”
“What Will ____ Be Like in X Years/ Months/ Days?”
“X [Common/ Uncommon] [Misconceptions/ Truths] About ____”
“The X Funniest/ Weirdest/ Surprising Stories We’ve Heard About ____”
“X Inspirational/ Motivational/ Psychological Quotes to Help You With/ In ____”
“X [Quick/ Blitz/ Uncommon] [Tips/ Facts] About ____”
“[The Top 10 ____/ The 10 Best ____]”
“A Buyer’s/ Seller’s/ PrePurchase Guide for ____”
“Why ____ Is Overrated/ Underrated“
“X Alternatives for ____”
“What These People Did Wrong/ Right with ____”
“Do You Need ____? [Take/ Use] Our [Quiz/ Checklist] to Find Out”
“How Much Do You Really Know About ____?”
“The History/ Future of ____”
“How to Solve the [Largest/ Nuance] [Problems/ Issues] in ____”
“Are You New in/ to ____? Here’s Everything You Need to Know.”
“X Amazing/ Cool/ Fascinating Things You Wouldn’t Have Guessed About ____”
“How to ____ the Right/ Wrong Way”
“X Trends About ____ You Should Know”
“X Ways to Research ____”
“Pros and Cons of ____”
“Which Is Better: ____ or ____?”
“X Underrated ____ Strategies You Didn’t Consider”
“X Ways to Generate New Ideas for ____”
“X Signs You’re Wasting Your Time in ____”
“X Signs You’re Sabotaging Your ____ Without Knowing It”
“X Signs, You Should Invest in ____”
- Replace ____ with a product, solution, or asset
“The X Key Benefits of ____”
“Is It Really Worth It to ____?”
“X Fundamentals/ Basics to Know About ____”
“The Magic Formula for ____”
“X ____ Examples”
“X Perfect Examples of ____ in Action”
“X ____ Tactics”
“X Foolproof Tactics for ____”
“X Ways to ____ Without ____”
“X Strategies/ Methods to Supercharge Your ____ “
“The X Secrets of Successful ____s”
“X Things to Do Before You ____”
“X Ways to Recover From ____”
“X Harsh Realities About ____”
X Embarrassing ____ Mistakes You Can Learn From”
“Are You Ready for ____? Here’s How to Tell”
“What Your Employees/ Boss Should Know About ____”
“X Surprising Lessons We Learned From ____”
“What’s the Best Way to ____?”
- Replace ____ with an adverb [e.g. Find, Learn, Use, etc] and follow it with the focus keyword
“X Statistics on ____ You Need to Know”
“What ____ Doesn’t Want You to Know”
- This can be filled with any platform name, software name, company, person, etc.
“The One Thing You’ve Been Missing to ____”
- “Finish/ Accomplish/ Complete ____
- Any adverb can be used here along with your focus keyword
“X ____ Tweets That Will Make You Rethink Your Strategy”
“What Top Influencers Say About ____”
“X Huge Influencers in the ____ World”
“X ____ Influencers You Should Be Following”
- Replace with the name of the platform where the influencers are on
- Replace with the general location of influencers [e.g X American influencers
“X Considerations Before You ____”
- invest/ buy/ purchase/ enlist/ enroll/ sell
- View/ watch/ see
- any verbs [e.g. Take, build, make, dance, etc]
“The X Habits of Successful ____”
- Replace ____ with a group of people from a field or background [e.g. Entrepreneurs, Engineers, Pharmacists, Bodybuilders, Cashiers, Dog walkers, House Wives, etc]
“X Ideas for Your ____”
- Replace ____ with literally anything that someone can own
“The X Types of ____s You Need to Know About”
- Replace ____ with something that has variations [e.g. carpets, business entities, McDonald burgers, etc]
“X Tools Everyone in ____ Should Be Using”
- Replace ____ with a field of work or study [e.g. Engineering] Or location [e.g. Ohio, Florida, Toronto, Phillapenes, etc]
“How I Made $XXX in X Years/Months/Days”
- Replace this with numbers
“X Hacks For ____”
“The Anatomy of ____”
“X Reasons Your Competitors Are Out____ing You”
- Replace ____ with the business you’re in [If you’re a tutor, then it would become Outtutoring. Note: It may not work well with all business names]
“X ____s Everyone Should Own”
“X Questions to Ask Before ____”
“X Ways You Can Become ____”
“X Ways to Motivate Yourself for ____”
“The X Most Popular Forms of ____”
“Which ____ Is Right for You?”
“X Creative Ways to ____”
“How ____ Can Be More Efficient (X Tips)”
“What ____s Get Wrong About?”
“A Timeline on ____”
“What Would Happen If ____?”

Next Steps

Once you succeed at writing great blog post titles, take a look at our guide on how to write a strong meta description to support your title.

Following that, check out our guide on how to write a powerful blog post intro to keep users reading [So they don’t bounce off]