Being able to correctly use headings to create readable and appealing content is important. Readers,and search engines,appreciate well formatted content. One of the ways of achieving this is by using WordPress headings correctly (H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6.)
So what should one be aware of?
1. Use only one H1 tag per post/page. Search engines use the H1 tag to determine the topic of your content. As such,the H1 tag should be the title of your post or page.
2. Include keywords in your headings. This is good for SEO and can lead to Google sending traffic your way.
Headings play an important role in structuring your website’s content. Ranging in importance levels—from the most crucial H1 to the tiniest segment headed by H6—, headings give both the visitors and the search engines a clue about the content’s hierarchy. Besides, including keywords in the headings can help you boost your rankings. The input field for your post title – the same as your H1 heading – can be found on top of the page or post editor in WordPress. You can find the input field for the SEO title in the Yoast SEO meta box, which appears underneath the post input field. To edit this title, you need to click on the edit snippet button.
3. Avoid keyword stuffing in your headings-search engines might consider this as spam and Google will definitely penalize you for this.
4. The headings tags should adhere to a logical heading structure. This means that the H1 tag should be used for your title,H2 tag for a sub-section of your content,H3 tag for sub-sections and so on. Don't skip this sequence.
5. Don't use headings for styling purposes. Headings should only be used to give your content structure. For styling purposes,you can use bolds,italics,different fonts etc.
6. Headings should only be used in 'titles' that introduce different sections in your content. Don't apply them to entire paragraphs.
7. The headings that you should focus on are H1-H3 tags. Using tags higher than H3 doesn't make much SEO sense.
That's it from me for now and I hope these few pointers will help you write awesome content. All the best!
Maria :)
The simple blog headline haunts all people who write online. You’ll hear how much time you should spend on a headline, but doesn’t it seem like a little overkill after writing an article that took a couple hours of your time?
After all, the content is the part that should matter, not a silly headline, right? Well, this is indeed true, but the explosion in content means your are competing for readers’ attention. A day on the internet consists of 2.73 million blog posts, 144.8 billion emails, and 500 million Tweets daily.
More reasons why headlines are important
- 80% of people will read a headline, but only 20% of people will read the article. Capture that extra 80% with a powerful headline.
- A catchy headline can boost your traffic by 500%.
Learn a Headline Writing Formula
The unfortunate nature of the internet is that you need to grab attention. The good news is that you don’t need to spend another 30 minutes devising your headline if you have a formula in your back pocket. Let’s check out some simple tricks I use to write catchy blog headlines.
1. Throw the Word “Things” Out of Your Vocabulary
When was the last time you used the word “things” in one of your blog headlines? Don’t kid yourself. You know it’s an awful word with little appeal. So, why use it over and over?
What other words can you use?
- Ideas
- Effects
- Habits
- Assets
- Secrets
- Tricks
- Lessons
- Reasons
Would you rather hear about “10 Things That Help You Make Money” or “10 Secrets That Help You Make Money?”
2. Make an Intriguing Promise
The promise is typically something you can place at the end of your headline. In this article my promise is “…That Spike Conversions.” You can even go for something more extreme, but make sure you can follow through with data or stories that back it up.
For example you might create an article like, “10 Creative Ways to Sell Your Home in Just One Week.”
3. Where Can You Insert Quantifiable Specifics?
Numbers are always a sure-fire way to boost click-through rates, and the more obscure the number the better. Instead of creating a list with 10 points, consider going for 13 or 17 to go against the crowd.
For example you might create an article like, “How SEO Can Generate $1.5 Million for Your Business.”
4. Sneak in Adjectives that Aren’t Used Often
The words “quick” and “easy” tend to get plenty of use in headlines, but what about the more creative and enticing adjectives?
Here are some adjectives to get you started:
- Clumsy
- Thrifty
- Wild
- Free
- Effortless
- Wonderful
- Peculiar
The list is endless, but you can check out Enchanting Learning for a nice start.
5. Forget About Stuffing Keywords
Targeting particular keywords helps a bit with SEO, but when you make it the focus of your headline building process your headlines eventually become rigged and stuffed with keywords.
Most people are fairly attuned to the workings of the internet, so just plopping keywords in your headlines makes you look rather unoriginal. Understand how keywords work and write for humans and structure for search engines.
6. Raise Curiosity With Cliffhangers or Questions
Some might consider this a trigger, and I often go back and forth recommending these because too many companies take advantage of cliffhangers and questions to create click bait, which is often annoying and misleading for users.
Instead, reveal the true article purpose in the headline, but incorporate a cliffhanger or question.
For example, “You’ll Never Believe This Money Making Trick I Learned at Coachella.”
As long as you reveal the trick in your article you shouldn’t have any problems.
7. Ultimate Headline Formula
Try out this formula to simply grab a few words, mash them together and come up with a better headline in seconds:
Numbers + Adjective + Target Keyword + Rationale + Promise
Example: 8 Simple Ways to Improve Your Business Blogging Today
Bonus: Headline Examples
Here are eight bonus headline strategies that are backed by psychology.
- Surprise – “This Is Not a Perfect Blog Post (But It Could’ve Been)”
- Questions – “Do You Know How to Create the Perfect Blog Post?”
- Curiosity gap – “10 Ingredients in a Perfect Blog Post. Number 9 Is Impossible!”
- Negatives – “Never Write a Boring Blog Post Again”
- How to – “How to Create a Perfect Blog Post”
- Numbers – “10 Tips to Creating a Perfect Blog Post”
- Audience referencing – “For People on the Verge of Writing the Perfect Blog Post”
- Specificity – “The 6-Part Process to Getting Twice the Traffic to Your Blog Post”
H1 Heading Seo
Conclusion: Describe, Don’t Deceive
If your headlines don’t lead people to relevant content then you fail on all counts. After developing a solid headline, double check to ensure it isn’t misleading.
You’ll often hear that it’s best to spend a significant amount of time writing your blog headlines; and this is true, if you don’t have a formula to expedite the process.
H Tags For Seo
That said, let us know in the comments section if you have any other systems that work for your headline creation process.