From My Desk to Yours – 6th Edition
By: Penny, EzineArticles Managing Editor
Did you know the TITLE of your article comprises the unique URL for that article? Changing the title of a live article effectively re-writes the URL. This results in confused search engines.
That’s why we recently changed the editing process to no longer accept changes to the title once an article is approved. A unique title with a consistent URL means your article can always be found in the same place.
Getting your TITLE right the FIRST Time:
- Download and review the “Article Title Training Series” [Download PDF – 420KB] – And keep it for future reference.
- Target both human readers and search engines – Make the title keyword-relevant but also ensure your keyphrases are grammatically correct and the title reads naturally for humans.
- Use 50+ characters – Longer titles maximize your ability to attract readers with a specific promise that is highly relevant to your niche.
- Bad Example: Your title is “Changing Horses Mid-Stream?” and the article explains how this is an allegory for switching web hosts. This title is short and vague; it is not optimized for SEO and does not tell the reader how they will benefit from your article.
- Good Example: Your title is “Brazilian Karate – 7 Keys to Self Defense in Brazilian Martial Arts”. Your title contains multiple highly-targeted keyphrases without being redundant. It will attract search engines and readers alike, and makes the specific promise of 7 tips.
- Avoid punctuation that breaks URL’s (including periods, slashes, colons, and pound signs), and refrain from article parts – Be sure the title “stands alone” to provide a positive reader experience and to maximize your chances for higher article distribution.
- Study what works and what doesn’t – Review your Article Reports to see which titles have the most views and clicks. Also, read the titles of the Top 15 “Most Viewed” and “Most Published” articles (listed beneath every article) in your niche to brainstorm new ideas.
Following these simple steps will help you generate an endless stream of quality titles that require little or no revision. If you have more tips for crafting the perfect title, please post a comment below!
Very thought-provoking article.
January 28, 2010 at 11:07 PMQuestion: I have been positng articles with the same title but Part1,2,3 … at the tail end. Could this have any negative or otherwise effect with searches?
[Reply]
Michael,
Article parts don’t stand alone which makes them NOT syndication friendly. Also, if your reader needs to weed through too many articles to get all the highlights on one topic, you’re going to lose them.
I would recommend changing your title for every article and making it specific to the article content. Each “part” can be it’s own idea and it’s own article without being classified as a part. When readers see parts, they see more work. Reel them in with very specific article content that will entice them to read more.
This will also increase the likelihood of your articles getting syndicated which means more exposure.
January 29, 2010 at 9:15 AM[Reply]
Thanks, Penny. Right now I have to edit my article due to too many quotes (exceed the 5 lines). I will change its title.
January 29, 2010 at 8:15 PMMike
[Reply]