Provoke Curiosity in Titles to Improve SEO

Here’s a quick SEO tip: provoke curiosity through your titles yet stay relevant through keywords.

Let’s analyze clickthrough rate (CTR) data from a recent email campaign I sent for my fitness blog:

1. Leg Extension Alternatives for Bodybuilding (27%)
2. How to Get Bigger Diamond-Shaped Calves (28%)
3. Bodybuilding for Wider Delts: Applying Old-School Secrets (46%)

Google Search Console data is less clear. Keyword rankings influence CTR since more people click results with better positions. Nonetheless, here are some results comparing pages across similar positions:

  1. Optimizing Lateral Raises for Bodybuilding (.2%)
  2. Steve Reeves: Bodybuilding Genius (.5%)
  3. Leg Extension Alternatives for Bodybuilding: (1%)
  4. Bodybuilding for Wider Delts: Applying Old-School Secrets (3%)
  5. Avoid Thick Bar Training (3%)

Curiosity (secrets) did well but was equaled through another way to boost engagement… controversy (avoid)!

We can learn then apply something from everyone and everything. Otherwise, it’s easy to resort to the conventions of our specialty. Within SEO, this often means focusing on keywords alone.

Especially with user behavior playing a larger role in rankings, alongside higher CTR helping us regardless, don’t ignore consumer psychology to improve SEO!

Never miss a useful SEO insight.