I get it. But now is not the time to skimp on the details. Because the headline can be the difference between a click and a scroll. Here, I’ll share the latest research on creating headlines that work, along with SEO best practices and tips to get more clicks. In this article:

• The latest research on headlines: what works
• SEO considerations for headlines
• Creating good headlines for searchers and search engines
• FAQ: How can I create captivating headlines that drive clicks and traffic?

The Latest Research on Headlines: What Works

What makes a headline successful? There is no winning formula that will provoke clicks and increase traffic to your article every time. Still, we can learn from large-scale studies on what works in terms of headline type and length.

Headline Type

Which types of headlines — questions, how-to, etc. — get the most views? Semrush research analyzed more than a million articles picked from domains with a blog section that had from 30,000 up to 500,000 sessions. This research found that out of the following types of headlines:

• Questions
• Guides
• Lists
• How-to
• Other

… the list-focused headlines got the most page views, followed by how-to headlines.

Headline Length

How long should your headline be? Semrush data showed that 10- to 13-word headlines drove twice as much traffic as shorter headlines that were less than seven words. Headlines with 14-plus words also performed well.

Other research by BuzzSumo analyzed more than 100 million headlines across social media. This study found the ideal headline to be 11 words — which is consistent with the sweet spot in the Semrush findings.

This data is helpful, but what about SEO considerations? How do those factor into crafting a headline? I’ll cover that next.

SEO Considerations for Headlines

When you are writing content for SEO, what do we mean by “headline”?

Normally, you think of a headline as the words that appear large across the top of a page. On most webpages, that’s actually the Heading 1 tag.

But when you’re talking about attracting clicks from a search results page, it’s the HTML title tag that you’re really interested in optimizing. Your page’s title tag tends to be what appears in a search result as the clickable headline.

Now, Google may revise your title tag for SERPs. For example, lately, Google has been spotted replacing title tags with Heading 1 tags. However, according to Google, the HTML title tag is used as the clickable SERP headline more than 80% of the time.

Regardless, for SEO purposes, a page’s title tag is what you should focus on optimizing since it usually serves as the headline for your snippet on the search engine results page. Here’s an example:

The distinction doesn’t have to be significant. The Heading 1 that you write for your articles will often be the same or similar to your title tag. In both places, though, you need your headline to appeal to both search engines and potential visitors to the site.

Here are some best practices to help you create good headlines for your title tags that will help make your webpage more relevant for a search and get more clicks …

Title Tag Length

A title tag should be within the range of 6 to 12 words. Google cuts off a title displayed in search results after roughly 60 to 70 characters, including spaces on desktop and on mobile; it’s a bit longer — about 77 characters (but it depends on the width of the characters).

(Related: What Are Meta Tags? Why Are They Important to SEO? How Do You Create Them?)

This aligns with some of the research mentioned in the previous section showing that headlines with 10 to 13 words performed best. However, Backlinko conducted some research on title tag length and found that title tags between 15 to 40 characters have the highest CTR (8.6% higher).

To put that into perspective, the following title tag looks short, right? It has 35 characters and only seven words:

Switching focus to Google recommendations, in its SEO Starter Guide, Google touches on the length of the title tag, saying:

Titles can be both short and informative. If the title is too long or otherwise deemed less relevant, Google may show only a portion of it or one that’s automatically generated in the search result. Google may also show different titles depending on the user’s query or device used for searching.

The takeaway: Keep your headline descriptive of the page and generally within the character count guideline.

Custom Title Tag Length

While the large-scale studies mentioned in this article, along with known SEO best practices, can be helpful for putting you on the right path when it comes to headlines, getting customized data for each article you write is even better.

That is why I want to mention our WordPress plugin. But first, remember that every search engine query produces a unique set of search results. For example, the top search results for “how to change an oil filter” and “how to do advanced technical SEO” will have different average title tag lengths.

So, wouldn’t it be good if you could know what title tag length to aim for based on the winning search results? The answer here is yes because the way that SEO works is to be least imperfect compared to your competition. This means doing everything the top-ranked webpages are doing and doing some things a little better.

If you’re interested in learning more about this custom SEO data, you can check out the Bruce Clay WP SEO plugin.

The bottom line here is to use best practices to guide your headline creation and refine your execution with custom data.

Title Tag Contents

Now that I’ve covered how many words or characters to put in your title tag, let’s focus on what you should say. There are a zillion articles with tips on how to write a catchy headline, and no doubt you can glean a lot of creative ideas from them. That’s not my goal here. Instead, I’m going to fill in the gaps with headline-writing tips from an SEO perspective.

Remember that the title tag has more than one function, so you want it to be descriptive and compelling to search engines and users:

• The title tag serves as the first bit of information your webpage gives to the search engine spiders that visit it. This helps them quickly determine the relevance of a webpage to a query (of course, it’s not the only thing that helps determine relevance, but it’s important).
• The title tag is usually the first impression you give to potential visitors in the search results. A good title tag will entice readers to click through and drive more traffic to your article.

Google recommends in its SEO Starter Guide that title tags be unique and accurate. It’s true — you do not want your title tags to be a duplicate of any other page’s title or to be left blank. Either scenario can cause problems for your rankings and click-through rates.

Google goes on to say:

Choose a title that reads naturally and effectively communicates the topic of the page’s content.

Here, Google wants to ensure you do not stuff your title tag with keywords and that you think in terms of article headlines when it comes to creating title tag content. As mentioned earlier, in many cases, you can use your article title (or some version of it) as the title tag content.

Speaking of keywords, you want to make sure you include your most important keyword(s) in your title tag. More research from Backlinko shows that most organic result titles on Google’s first page contain keywords that are an exact or partial match of that search.

A final word about title tags: No amount of preparation can guarantee the title tag that you craft will be the one that displays in the search results. As I said, sometimes Google switches things up for a variety of reasons, and you can read more about that here.

Creating Good Headlines for Searchers and Search Engines

You’ve spent all that time creating a quality article, don’t skimp on creating a great headline. After all, it’s the headline that can be responsible for driving clicks and traffic to your website.

If you want to get more clicks, you need to consider everything that goes into a headline, including the latest research, SEO best practices, and even the custom data you can get with SEO tools.

Interested in better optimizing your web content to earn more traffic from search? We provide a variety of SEO services and can also provide SEO content. For more information, contact us for a free consultation.

FAQ: How can I create captivating headlines that drive clicks and traffic?

Crafting captivating headlines has become essential for content creators and marketers alike. A well-crafted headline can be the difference between a scroll and a click. But how can you create headlines that attract attention and drive clicks and traffic? Let’s explore some expert tips to master this art.

When creating captivating headlines, it’s crucial to understand your target audience and tailor your headlines to resonate with their needs and interests. Think about what problem your content solves or what value it provides. A headline that promises a solution or valuable insights instantly grabs the reader’s attention.

Incorporating powerful words and emotional triggers in your headlines can significantly enhance their effectiveness. Words like “ultimate,” “proven,” “exclusive,” and “secret” evoke curiosity and a sense of urgency. Pair these powerful words with emotional triggers related to your content’s subject matter to create headlines that connect with readers on a deeper level.

While creativity is key, balance it with clarity. A headline should give readers a clear idea of what to expect from the content. Avoid misleading or clickbait headlines that may lead to high bounce rates. Honesty and accuracy build trust with your audience, encouraging them to engage further with your content.

Testing and optimization are essential components of headline creation. A/B testing different headline variations can help you identify what resonates best with your audience. Pay attention to metrics such as click-through rates and time spent on the page to gauge the effectiveness of your headlines.

Transition smoothly between subtopics to ensure a cohesive reading experience. By understanding your audience, incorporating powerful words, maintaining clarity, and embracing testing, you can master the art of crafting captivating headlines that attract clicks and drive valuable traffic to your website.

Step-by-Step Procedure: How to Create Captivating Headlines for Clicks and Traffic

1. Understand your target audience’s needs and interests.
2. Identify the problem your content solves or the value it provides.
3. Craft headlines that promise solutions or valuable insights.
4. Incorporate power words like “ultimate,” “proven,” and “exclusive.”
5. Use emotional triggers relevant to your content’s subject.
6. Maintain clarity and avoid misleading clickbait headlines.
7. Build trust with honest and accurate headlines.
8. Balance creativity with readability and relevance.
9. A/B test different headline variations.
10. Analyze click-through rates and engagement metrics.
11. Optimize headlines based on testing results.
12. Use metrics to identify the most effective headlines.
13. Tailor headlines to different platforms and audience segments.
14. Monitor trends and current events for timely headlines.
15. Experiment with different headline structures (questions, how-tos, lists).
16. Test headlines with colleagues or focus groups for feedback.
17. Consider the character limit for search engine results.
18. Develop a consistent tone and style in your headlines.
19. Update and refresh headlines for evergreen content.
20. Continuously analyze and adapt headline strategies for optimal results.

The post How to Craft a Headline That Gets More Clicks appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

So the bottom line is that you need to be on Page 1 — we know that. And to get the most clicks, you need to consider what position you appear there. In this article, I’ll share data and make some observations about click-through rates and search engine results page (SERP) position.

• Before we dive in
• Click-through rates by SERP position
• How searchers look at the SERPS
• FAQ: How do search engine click-through rates relate to SERP positions and user behavior?

Before We Dive In

The way people search is complex. Do they only look at the first result? Not always. Searchers are getting savvier, and many will look at several results before choosing the one they want.

Not only that, but the search engine results pages change for every query. That means you’re not just getting “10 blue links,” you’re getting potentially a whole host of different SERP features. And each combination of SERP features can impact the average click-through rates.

At the end of the day, we cannot simply rely on the data. We have to work to understand why the data is the way it is.

While the numbers may seem straightforward, as SEOs especially, we need to reverse engineer from the outcome — why did they click on that result? What factors led to that result being in the No. 1 position in the first place?

This is where we can begin to derive value from this type of data.

Click-Through Rates by SERP Position

Even though the data varies slightly from study to study, all the latest research on click-through rates by SERP position shows the same thing: the first organic listing on the page gets the most clicks, and each position after shows a decline.

The largest discrepancy across studies is just how much the click-through rate changes per SERP position. And that is because the companies that put out this data each used different methodologies.

For example, data from Ignite Visibility shows the following data for the first three positions:

• Position 1 – 43.32%
• Position 2 – 37.36%
• Position 3 – 29.90%

On the other hand, a Sistrix study analyzed billions of search results and found the following overall click data:

• Position 1 – 28.5%
• Position 2 – 15.7%
• Position 3 – 11%

And, Backlinko showed the following data instead:

• Position 1 – 31.73%
• Position 2 – 25.71%
• Position 3 – 18.66%

As the comparison chart shows, the percentage differences between the studies don’t seem to change the overall trend. The fact is, every study shows that, in general, the higher up you are in the search results, the better chance you have of a click.

But SERPs Change … Does CTR Change Too?

The general averages are interesting, but we have to consider the fact that each SERP is different with different features. How does that impact the click-through rate?

Sistrix wanted to answer that question, too, so their research looks closer at how different SERPs produce different click-through rates. With the majority of traffic coming from mobile devices these days, Sistrix looked only at mobile behavior, not desktop.

As a reminder, here was the average click-through rates they found, and then they compared this data to the click-through rates of the different types of SERPs:

• Position 1 – 28.5%
• Position 2 – 15.7%
• Position 3 – 11%

SERPs with Just the 10 Blue Links

When a SERP layout had just the 10 blue links and no other distracting elements, the percentage of organic clicks was much higher for the first two positions compared to SERPs in general, though clicks were about the same as the average for the third result:

• Position 1 – 34.2%
• Position 2 – 17.1%
• Position 3 – 11.4%

SERPs with Featured Snippets

Featured snippets are often referred to as “position zero” because they show up above all the other organic links, as pictured here:

Sistrix found that when there is a featured snippet on the SERP, it costs the first organic result about five percentage points in click-through rate. They go on to explain:

The first ranking (with the featured snippet) has a click rate that is 5.3% percentage points below the average value for this position. The website from which the information in the featured snippet is created does not benefit from the featured snippet.

Interestingly, the websites at positions # 2 and # 3 benefit significantly: the second place winner gets almost five additional percentage points compared to the average (15.7% to 20.5%) and the third place site will also get an increase in CTR from 11% to 13.3%.

If your target keyword tends to serve up a featured snippet in the search result, it’s worth trying to optimize your webpage for that featured snippet so you can get more clicks. For more, see: 3 Surprising On-Page SEO Techniques You May Not Know About

SERPs with Direct Answers

When a SERP featured a direct answer from Google (think calculators, measurement conversions, weather, etc.), average click-through rates for the first organic position and subsequent positions plummeted.

Sistrix explains:

The CTR in the first position almost halved and plummeted from 28.5% to only 16.3%. But there is also a first in the data: the second organic position receives more clicks than the first position with this SERP layout: 16.7% of Google users click on # 2 and not on # 1.

SERPs with Other Universal Results

When SERPs had other features like news, images, recipes, and other types of universal search results, the organic blue links did not get as many clicks as they would if no other distracting elements were on the page.

Here are a couple of examples:

Organic Listings with News Results

Organic Listings with Recipe Results

Interestingly, SERPs with videos increased the click-through rate of the first organic listing by quite a bit. One possible explanation for that is covered in the next section.

Organic Listings with Video Results

How Searchers Look at the SERPs

The data shows that the first position gets the most clicks. But does that mean that searchers only look at the first result before clicking? Data from Ignite Visibility suggests no.

In its report on searcher intent, Ignite Visibility reported the following:

When asked how many search results they read before clicking a link, 17.4% said they looked at three results, followed by 15.6% who only read the first result, 14.2% who read five, 14% who read 10+, 13.4% who read four, 8.4% who read two, and 7.6% who read six.

This is in line with other (older) research that showed desktop users will scan the results from the top left and down to find the result they want to click.

The study also found that despite all the SERP features available to searchers, the majority (55.1%) preferred written content, followed by 29.1% that preferred images, 13.8% preferred videos, and 2% preferred audio content.

This might explain why, as outlined in the previous section, the first organic “blue link” listing actually gets more clicks when video is in the SERP for that search.

Takeaways: What Does This All Mean?

Overwhelmingly, the results that show up the highest on the SERP get the most attention. That we know. But what does it mean from a practical standpoint?

In terms of SEO, you need to first have a whole-SERP strategy. That means understanding what types of features show up for your target keywords on the SERP, and then optimizing for them.

Of course, you might have to contend with things like direct answers in your SERPs, which make it really difficult to compete. For these situations, I recommend reading: How to Adapt SEO in a Zero-Click World.

Once you know who is in the top spot for your keyword, that’s when you start analyzing the competition. Remember, your goal is to be least imperfect compared to the competition. So use the right tools to better understand what they are getting right (and wrong). See: How to Do Competitor Research for SEO.

If you need the help of an expert team to meet your website’s SEO goals, contact us for a free consultation today.

FAQ: How do search engine click-through rates relate to SERP positions and user behavior?

Understanding the relationship between search engine click-through rates (CTR), SERP positions, and user behavior is paramount. These elements converge to shape the success of your online presence, and grasping their dynamics can significantly enhance your SEO strategy.

Search engine click-through rates (CTR) are a pivotal metric, reflecting the effectiveness of your website’s positioning in search results. The symbiotic relationship between CTR and SERP positions is undeniable – higher positions inherently attract more clicks. Research consistently confirms that the first organic listing captures the lion’s share of clicks, with subsequent positions experiencing a decline in CTR.

User behavior on SERPs is a multifaceted phenomenon. Contrary to the notion that users solely focus on the first result, studies reveal a more nuanced approach. Savvy searchers often scan multiple results before clicking, reflecting a more discerning attitude. The rise of SERP features further complicates the landscape. These features, like featured snippets and direct answers, alter user interaction and CTR patterns.

Featured snippets, often called “position zero,” significantly impact CTR. While they provide immediate answers, they can decrease the CTR of the first organic result. However, positions 2 and 3 experience CTR boosts, illustrating the complexity of user preferences. Additionally, SERPs with direct answers, such as calculators or weather forecasts, sharply decline CTR for organic positions.

Optimizing SERP features requires a multifaceted approach. Understanding the type of feature prevalent for your target keyword is crucial. Embrace strategies to secure featured snippets or craft content that aligns with direct answer queries. A holistic SERP strategy empowers you to adapt to evolving user behavior and capitalize on varied CTR patterns.

Mastering the interplay between search engine click-through rates, SERP positions, and user behavior is pivotal in today’s competitive digital landscape. By deciphering user preferences, adapting to SERP feature dynamics, and optimizing your content strategy, you can unlock the full potential of your online visibility.

Step-by-Step Procedure: How to Understand the Connection between CTR, SERP Positions, and User Behavior

1. Begin by grasping the significance of search engine click-through rates (CTR) and their impact on online visibility.
2. Explore the concept of SERP positions and their correlation with CTR, highlighting the influence of higher positions on attracting clicks.
3. Delve into user behavior on search engine results pages (SERPs), considering the multi-result scanning pattern and the rise of SERP features.
4. Examine the impact of featured snippets on CTR, acknowledging both their benefits and potential drawbacks.
5. Understand the consequences of direct answers in SERPs, particularly how they alter CTR patterns for organic positions.
6. Recognize the need for a holistic SERP strategy that accounts for diverse user behavior and evolving SERP feature dynamics.
7. Determine the prevalent SERP feature for your target keyword, whether it’s a featured snippet, direct answer, or other element.
8. Devise content optimization strategies to secure featured snippets, enhancing your chances of attracting clicks.
9. Craft content that aligns with direct answer queries, positioning your website as a valuable source of immediate information.
10. Leverage tools and analytics to monitor CTR variations across different SERP positions and feature scenarios.
11. Continuously adapt your content strategy based on emerging user preferences and changing SERP dynamics.
12. Prioritize user engagement and relevance in your content, as these factors influence CTR and overall user satisfaction.
13. Monitor industry trends and algorithm updates, as they can shape SERP feature prevalence and user behavior.
14. Collaborate with SEO experts and peers to share insights and stay updated on best practices.
15. Regularly analyze and refine your content based on user interactions to improve CTR and SERP performance.
16. Monitor competitor strategies and CTR patterns to identify potential areas for improvement in your strategy.
17. Experiment with different approaches, such as creating visually appealing content or incorporating multimedia elements.
18. Utilize data-driven insights to fine-tune your SEO strategy, maximizing click-through rates and SERP positioning.
19. Continuously iterate and optimize your content based on user feedback and emerging trends.
20. Embrace a proactive mindset, recognizing that understanding and adapting to the intricate connection between CTR, SERP positions, and user behavior is an ongoing journey toward online success.

The post The Latest on Click-Through Rate by SERP Position appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..