Two birds, one stone?
Not every post is meant to rank for a good keyword on Google.
As a matter of fact, not that many of them are.
For those special ones, you do in-depth keyword research, on-page optimization, and quality link building.
(By the way, you can learn about these steps and more in my free 7 Steps to Compete Search Engine Domination report).
Also, there will always be some posts that just happen to rank for a good keyword you never optimized them for.
That’s when you do a chicken dance and optimize them some more, plus throw in a few links to strengthen your ranking.
Read more on how to do that in this post:
But this post is not about Google rankings per se.
It’s all about titles and how to leverage them to put yourself in the best position possible with both your readers and the search engines.
Ode to Titles
There are many a post written about how to write a great title.
Here’s are some great reads on the topic:
- How To Write Titles With Teeth
- 100 Greatest Headlines Ever Written
- 18 Resources to Help you Write Better Blog Titles
Yes, lots of good stuff…
Yet my question to the authors of all these great posts is always the same - what about the search engines? Don’t we need to throw them a bone as well?
The answer is usually - write for the readers, the search engines will come.
What a load of ….
And so this post is all about how to write titles with teeth (gotta love that title by JamesTheJust) that grab both the readers and the SEs.
Write Your Title for Readers
The initial new blog post promotion stage is crucial.
That’s when your post is shared the most via social networks and has the best chance to get into speedlinking posts (that’s when a blogger writes a blog post listing other bloggers’ articles they enjoyed the most throughout the week).
My step-by-step thought process (or is it thought-by-thought?):
1. Write a blog post.
2. Write a title to please the readers and grab their attention.
3. HOWEVER: if this is one of the posts you are hoping to rank for a good keyword (and from this point on I will assume that’s the kind of posts we are talking about here), make sure you use that keyword in the title, preferably in the beginning.
I know it might be awkward, but it’s very important. WHY?
Because in the very beginning stages of your blog post promotion, everyone who links to your post will link via the title, so your keyword will get in there as well.
4. CommentLuv consideration: one of the best link building/traffic generation you can do in the beginning is to leave comments on blog that use ComLuv plugin.
Note I said both link building (thus the importance of keyword) and traffic generation (thus attention grabber of a title).
5. DON’T optimize your title in your SEO plugin, like All-in-One SEO pack or whatever else you are using. Same goes for using premium themes like Thesis, which is what I use on this blog and which have built-in SEO capabilities.
WHY?
Because when social plugins on your blog pull out information on the blog post for an RT or FB share, they pull it from your SEO plugin.
So if you wrote a great title for the readers, but optimized it for search engines in your SEO area, your social networks will get a keyword loaded title that will never bring any traffic - which, of course, defeats the purpose of social media traffic generation.
I don’t know about you, but I hate to RT “Your keyword | your blog title” - I actually won’t do it at all.
Skip that step FOR NOW, and the entire Twitterverse and Facebooksphere will be drawn to see what’s behind that great titles of yours.
Optimize content later…
6. Do all this for about 7 days.
Why 7?
Arbitrary number. I think that’s how long it takes for the post to go “stale” (might not even take that long).
People will stop actively reading it, commenting on it, and sharing it.
CommentLuv will push it all the way to the bottom by then and you’ll start using your newer posts to generate traffic to.
Write Your Title for Search Engines
1. NOW go back and optimize your title for search engines.
Quick tips: put your primary keywords in the beginning; use pipe “|” to separate keywords; keep it under 70 characters. Don’t use any filler words. Keep it simple.
2. Give it a few CommentLuv links with the new title, just for link building alone.
3. Did you read that post I mentioned above on how to improve your Google rankings? It talks about precisely about how to improve on your existing post to push it higher up the Google ladder.
Here’s the link one more time: Improve Your Google Ranking: From Lame To Fame in 4 Easy Steps
Marketing Takeaway
And there you have it.
Who said you can’t kill two birds with one stone?
Anticipating a question: aren’t you holding the post back as far as search engine rankings are concerned, if you don’t optimize it right off the bat?
In my opinion, no. You are still using your keywords, remember? Just not too prominently.
Plus, rapid rise in rankings doesn’t happen too often, and when it does, it’s usually temporary anyway.
So…. What’s your take on it? Comment to show me that you’re alive!
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I am a wife to a great husband of 13 years (here ya go, now I have to make changes to this sentence once a year), a mother to a beautiful and, no doubt, genius little girl, and a successful internet entrepreneur. I also devoted my life to Jesus Christ many years ago, and He remains my true priority, focus, and hope.
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Ana,
Excellent post!! Again, more stellar info from the queen of traffic generation
I had never thought to go back and optimize titles for the SE’s. I always tried to do it from the start, but what you say makes alot of sense. People won’t read your post unless you have a catchy title and a keyword rich title can sometimes look awkward.
Thanks Ana, now I have another trick up my sleeve.
PS Don’t you just love the CommentLuv plugin, by far the best addition to any blog, I think anyway, Andy is the man. I know whenever I comment on a blog, I always look for commentluv first and if they don’t have it. I recommend they get it in my comment.
All the best Ana and have a great day!
Ian Belanger invites you to read: 7 Marketing Mistakes That Affiliate Marketers Make
Awesome post, but what made me laugh was imagining you doing your chicken dance.; simply priceless.
About step 5, I’m thinking of removing all-in-one-seo all together because thesis provides all seo options that you need.
Goran | Black Hat Source invites you to read: SEO Guide
“Also, there will always be some posts that just happen to rank for a good keyword you never optimized them for.”
That’s what usually happens to me on one of my blogs where i just write because i like to. It’s a personal blog where i write everyday stuff that happens to me. I soon found out people were finding me on google search by random keywords i would’ve never thought of ranking. Those apply to small niches but when you have hundreds of articles, even 1-2 visits for each can build up.
Haven’t had time to actually optimize those articles for search engines, but i might try it just to see where it gets me.
Maria Pavel invites you to read: CNA Certification
When you see a post being ranked on the first page of Google and it brings you traffic, it pays to optimize it some more, throw some links to it and see if you can climb to the top.
You are already half way there, right? Why not go all the way!
I wrote a post that talks about this strategy in more details; you can find it here, Maria:
https://trafficgenerationcafe.online/get-top-google-ranking/
Ana
You’re right, i should optimize those articles when i get some free time.
Thanks for the additional link, i’ll take a look a it right now.
Maria Pavel invites you to read: CNA Certification
Hi Ana,
I confess I’m not always consistent with including keywords in my titles. I often like to go for impact - to draw in the curious via ComLuv.
But I like your two-step title attack. I will try that with my latest post and see how it works.
Thanks,
Peggy
Peggy Baron invites you to read: My Mentor is Better Than Your Mentor
Exactly, Peggy - my way you can have your cake and eat it too.
Hey Ana,
I couldn’t agree with you more re social media buttons, especially Twitter pulling out the information from the SEO plugin - ugly looking stuff for the search engines
. Facebook is fine, it pulls the normal title.
Thanks for sharing this. I’ll be implementing right away.
All the best,
Mavis
P.S. Where is everybody today? It’s a little quiet around here…
Mavis Nong invites you to read: Blog Interact – The New Home for Bloggers
It has been a quiet Monday for me, Mavis - I am wondering if my readers still like me…
Ana | Traffic Generation invites you to read: Article Spinning- You Spin Me Right ‘round- Baby- Right ‘round
Hi Ana
Only just found your site after looking for a Tweetadder v’s MMS review! and still here an hour later….oh dear.
Thanks for the great information and I am really interested in your title comments. Similar to lisa I tend to put my keyword first and then add the “sexy” bit. When I reflect back on my Dog niche site my most popular posts don’t start with the keyword though it is included.
Great lesson in analysis and reviewing what works!
Best Wishes
Denise
Denise invites you to read: How To Get Clients
Welcome to TGC, Denise - and thanks for the compliment of being stuck here; makes me feel like I am right where I should be - writing bits that help others.
Look forward to seeing more of you around!
Ana | Traffic Generation invites you to read: Duplicate Content Phantom- Don’t Be Duped- Be Informed
Great stuff! I have been lazy with optimizing posts after the fact. Would be good to start doing that.
I’ve also been lazy with your first steps! I got lucky a few times and have had some posts get crazy search engine traffic, and have definitely slipped in the areas of comment luv linking and even keyword-linking in the title.
SEO is a lot to keep up with!
Tia invites you to read: Fear as a Signpost
I am lazy/too busy, period, Tia.
Have enough to deal with the things of today to deal with things of yesterday.
However, putting ourselves on a schedule - one post per week, shouldn’t be bad even for you and me.
Thanks for coming by!
Ana | Traffic Generation invites you to read: Search Engine Ranking Tip- Keywordcom or MrSmithcom
Hi Ana,
Great tips on SEO. I wonder where all that information comes from. And I learnt something new about not optimizing the title. And I agree the title should be keyword rich as well as attention grabbing. Thanks for the post.
Lali Sandhu invites you to read: How To Write Killer Reviews!
Most of this comes from experience, testing, and reading a lot, Lali.
Ana | Traffic Generation invites you to read: Traffic Generation Blogging Contest – How I Got Over 400 Comments on My Entry
So far, the targeted keywords on title has work great to bring traffic from search engine. It seems Google Search Engine really believe on the title.
Dana invites you to read: What is Mobile Broadband
Yes, title is still a huge deal in SEO.
Ana | Traffic Generation invites you to read: Link Building Tip- How to Do It the Smart Way
Ana:
I am so glad you wrote about this! A few months back I was doing just this for my posts. Somehow I got away from it (probably being lazy) and I noticed a decline in my RT’s.
I like to entice with my titles and somehow use my keywords as well. Another little trick I have been trying out for the last 2 weeks or so, is formatting my title s as such:
keyword: title with teeth.
So, if I am writing about blog traffic, then any post I write I format as
blog traffic: blah blah blah.
I have started to see some ranking love from this as well!
Cheers Ana,
Lisa
Lisa@ blog seo invites you to read: Alexa Slap- Do Unto Others…
Excellent tip, Lisa - it’s still user-friendly and it totally works for search engines!
Have a great Monday!
Ana | Traffic Generation invites you to read: Link Building Tip- How to Do It the Smart Way
Great little tip, Lisa. I have been using that as well
How have you been?
Mavis
Mavis Nong invites you to read: Blog Interact – The New Home for Bloggers