Increase Traffic with a Good Title

Theres such a thing as taking search engine optimization too far. Im not talking about black hat versus white hat, things that might get you banned versus staying pristine. Im talking about keyword stuffing in the title. As far as search engine optimization goes, theres nothing wrong with it. You might very well make it to #1 with a title like "Widgets, Black Widgets, Home Widgets, Cheap Widgets."

But whos going to click on that

Oh, Im sure some people will. But Im betting the guy whos at #3 with "Widget Information" is going to get more visitors.

Sometimes we webmasters spend so much time trying to second-guess the search engines that we forget potential visitors, people, are the ones we really need to impress. Yes, its important to get onto that first page of search engine results, but once youre there, think of ways to entice people with your titles.

Im not saying to get rid of keywords in your titles altogether; instead, take your main keyword and work your title around it.

So, what makes a good title

First off, get rid of the mass of keywords separated by commas. If people were looking for synonyms, theyd grab a thesaurus rather than popping onto Google. Instead, put yourself in the shoes of the person looking for information on widgets. If you were the one doing the looking, what kind of title would attract you

You really cant go wrong with Keyword Information or some variation of that title. After all, thats what most people are looking for, information. However, that can be a bit dry.

You may want to consider employing what writers call a hook. This is something that grabs your attention and makes you want to continue reading in order to satisfy your curiosity. Journalists employ this method all the time to increase newspaper sales.

Some examples might be:

Widgets, Bad for Your Health

Are Widgets Safe for Your Children

Widgets Increase Sales... If Used Correctly

Be creative. Whatever you do, make sure your titles are cohesive. Think like your visitors, not like the search engines. Lure the visitor into clicking on your site instead of the nine other sites listed on the search engine results page. You might just be surprised at the increase in traffic you receive.