What Makes a Good Article Title

Your article title or headline is the most important part of your article. 80% of people who see your article will read the title, but only 20% of people will continue and read the rest of your article.

Our friend Neal Patel from QuickSprout has created this informative infographic on headlines.

Here are highlights of the most important points from the infographic.

1. Titles should be 65 characters or less.

2. People scan titles to see if the article is worth reading. The first word and the last 3 are the most important.

3. Effective titles use a question and reference the reader.

4. Negative wording taps into the reader’s insecurities.

5. The titles with the words ‘no’, ‘without’ and ‘stop’ get more shares.

6. Numbered lists titles are very effective.

The formula for creating a great title? Number or trigger word + adjective + keyword + subject.