The Bloggers Guide to Creating Targeted Headlines

If you are reading this article, the chances are you were attracted by the title. Creating an eye catching title is an art form and there are a huge number of formats to choose from.

Linkbait style articles are losing credibility fast while boring titles will never give your content the audience it deserves. Luckily there is another format being put to good use that I call the “targeted headline”.

Let look at some recent examples:

• The Bloggers Guide to Indirect Selling
• The Advanced Webmasters Guide to Google News
• The Blogger’s Guide to SEO

All these headlines have two very important elements. The target for example “Bloggers” or “Advanced Webmasters” and the subject, for example “SEO”. Creating a guide to SEO isn’t going to get links from anywhere, the field is just too saturated. However if you can create a Bloggers guide to SEO or a “Small business owners guide to SEO” you stand a good chance of gaining traction. People see the title and if they are a Blogger or “Small business owner” they will read it.

To make use of this title simply make a list of the possible guides you can make, figure out what you are an expert in and what you can write about. Next make a list of the areas you would like to target. Maybe small businesses, Digg users, bloggers, writers, students etc. Now put the two lists together and start writing.

If, for example, you operate a cooking website. You might be able to produce guides on:

• Smoothies
• Sandwiches
• Quick Meals

You might want to target bloggers and students, good headlines would be:

• The Bloggers Guide to Stimulating Smoothies
• The Students Guide to Great Sandwiches
• The Late Night Bloggers Guide to Quick Meals

BY Patrick Altoft AT 5:56pm ON Tuesday, 27 November 2007

Patrick Altoft is Director of Search at Branded3 and has worked in the SEO industry for over 10 years. With experience across some of the worlds largest brands as well as startup businesses Patrick is well known in the industry and speaks regularly at the major SEO conferences and events. Follow Patrick on Twitter or Google+