Are You Writing Effective Article Titles?

According to Wikipedia, a suitable article title is decided by recognizability, naturalness, precision, conciseness and consistency.

You have got an idea to write an article. The first thing is to develop your idea into a headline. Your headline is the main attraction to entice readers to read your article. Your title is also what you want to talk about. Your readers are interested to know what you have to say about the subject.  A headline is the starting point to write an article. What can an effective article title do for you?

1.      Think about the title: A title answers many of your pressing questions. Is the title relevant to a subject you want to write about? Will the readers be interested? Are you able to write well about the subject? Is the topic useful to your readers? Is the title (Keywords) good enough to be listed on page one of Google search and capture the attention of online searchers?

2.      Focus:  The most useful thing about an article title is that it brings the subject matter to a focus.  So, when you write, you are guided by the subject matter and what you write will match the headline.  The key issue is relevancy.

3. Your title states a problem: The most useful title is one that states a common problem of readers. You are to provide workable solutions to solve a problem. Readers are interested to solve their own problems. This is an example to solve a problem: Effective ways to energize yourself.

4.      Your title highlights a subject:  Recently I wrote an article on soft skills. In it, I answer the” what “question and I highlight 10 important soft skills for the readers to acquire. A title explores a subject and provides knowledge that readers are interested to know.

5.      Your title tells the way to get something done: This is the title of another recent article, 10 keys to live a balanced and happy life.  The content answers the “how” question.  Readers want to know how to get something done.

6.      Is your article title searcher-friendly: There is no need to look for keywords. Just think of those common words people are using to look for information on the Net like the way you do. Use simple words and write naturally. Here are some examples:

·         Query:  how to grow a career in it #1

       Landing Page: www.allaboutlivingwithlife.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-to-grow-your-career.html

            Google Search Rank: No 1

·         Query:  ways to kick off a new day #1

       Landing page:  www.allaboutlivingwithlife.blogspot.com/2010/05/7-steps-to-start-new-day-on-right-note.html

            Google Search Rank: No 1

·         Query: what George Washington do to achieve greatness #1

       Landing page: www.allaboutlivingwithlife.blogspot.com/2011/08/5-ways-to-achieve-greatness.html

             Google Search Rank: No 1

7.      Emotional marketing value: Do your article titles carry EMV? According to the Advanced Marketing Institute,   reaching your customers in a deep and emotional way is a key to successful copywriting, and your headline is unquestionably the most important piece of copy you use to reach prospects. Are your headlines appeal equally to people's intellectual, empathetic, and spiritual spheres and perfectly balance?

            This is one of my article titles which is perfectly balanced:

"Are You Spending Your Lunchtime Productively"

Your Headline's EMV Score:	50.00%

This score indicates that your headline has a total of 50.00% Emotional Marketing Value (EMV) Words. To put that in perspective, the English language contains approximately 20% EMV words.

And for comparison, most professional copywriters' headlines will have 30%-40% EMV Words in their headlines, while the most gifted copywriters will have 50%-75% EMV words in headlines.

When you write an article, the first thing is to answer the No. 1 question from your readers: What’s for me?