I’ve been stumbling on articles where the title doesn’t make sense or fit with the content of the post. Now, the post’s content itself doesn’t have very many problems, but when I read the article and reflect back to the title, it means a whole different thing.
Are you finding that an issue sometimes with your readers where you have to explain your blog title of the article and how it has affected the reader’s perception while reading the article?
Here’s an example of a title: 7 Types of Websites WordPress is Well Suited For
The title tells us that the article gives 7 types of sites that it is suited for. However, after reading the article, the post conveys that WordPress is suited for only 7 types of sites and doesn’t convey anything about beginners. There were a lot of mistakes in the post, but the general point was that the title and the article together did not convey what came next. So, as a reader and a WordPress designer and developer, I made comment that I do not agree with the post. The blog owner or article writer then replies to explain that the article is for beginning WordPress users to find a good way to use the content management system.
In the case of this, the article was not titled correctly if the blog owner intended the post to be understood differently. It should have been titled somewhat like: 7 Types of Most Commonly Used Websites With WordPress. The article should have also explained what the blog owner intended for the post to reach out to.
There are a lot of issues that you as a blog owner have to take care of when writing your post titles and articles, even if English is not your first language. What may mean something to you, may mean something else to another person. Blogging isn’t perfect, but if you don’t pay attention to the real meaning of the post, you will lose your reader or have to keep explaining what you really meant in your post.
There are other post title writing examples that I will be pulling up and explaining from time to time.
Thanks for bringing this topic to the forefront Nile. Not only is this helpful for readers of the article, but post titles also affect SEO and where that post will fall in the SERPs.
It might, as according to the title and knowing the actual answer… the information on that article is horribly wrong as it limits the types of sites more to a blog platform, than a full CMS. Looking closer, its by a guest author, instead of the main site owner… one that has gotten great kudos in the blogosphere considering she’s not a native English speaker. I wish people would proof their articles better or challenge the original author. I’m actually considering on writing a similar title containing What is WordPress Well Suited For as a response.
Sounds like the title was written with SERP in mind rather than the reader.
Possibly, I’m not sure, but I found myself in an argument with them and it shows me their lack of knowledge in what WordPress can do today, and that is another peeve of mine….lol
Thanks for the post! Mean what you write is a really relevant topic these days. Especially to google 🙂
It is and maybe the author did mean what they wrote especially from their experience, but it did not come across that way when I read it. In fact, the article was awkwardly written.
I actually thought this post was going to be about being passionate about your blog posts, but it was not. You tricked me! lol.
lol yes! I come across this all of the time with blog posts. Blogs that make post titles for SEO but deceives the reader with the actual content won’t last long. Good post!
lol… that is exactly how I feel when I stumble into a post because I was intrigued by the title, and it was nothing like the title at all.
This is really a good post. Very informative and very useful. Thank you for sharing this post. I’ve learned something from this.
Nothing worse than going to an article and finding out that the title isn’t what the title led me to believe the article was about….
I’m sure that in a given niche if we are well read and educated on the topic it would be even more frustrating seeing someone attracting readers using a “false” title.
However in the education system (grammar/ spelling content- not as important) now a days, i am going to believe that our writers aren’t as educated as they could be and therefore don’t do it on purpose (although some might in regards to SEO).
We do have to learn how to write well and use the proper technics to attract our audience.. If one makes too many faux pas, too often they will lose their audience….
Did I say I hate going to check out an article who’s title sucked me in and I dont’ get the info I thought I was after!!…
Nile, I appreciate your work, Very impressive way of writing and representation of blog. Keep it up.
-J
Pak Voters Training
It’s easy enough to be unclear about what you mean, without actually giving a false title. If we really want to serve our readers, we’ll spend the little bit of extra time and thought needed, to write a food, clear title.
Willena
I’ve got a system that I’ve used cure this for my own posts – I read the title and all the sub headings just to see if the title leads me to the 1st sub head and so on through the post – If I’m left scratching my head after I read the first subhead I know that the post is not hanging together – and then I go back and read it more carefully.
Sometimes the title is fine – and I’ve just got a misplaced sub-head – but most of the time it’s what you describe – a title that doesn’t communicate the essence of the post.
I have faced the similar issue in the start with my writing skills. I ended up with a review system program which let me think twice, and thrice about the content before publishing it online.
I used to write new posts in night, but not publishing. Gives the content at least 24 hours, and then open the file to give another check for mistakes, and revisions. It really helped me in bounding everything with my content.
It’s the main point that if you have a catchy title then you can get a huge exposure and targeted clicks as well 🙂
I hate it when a post does that! I often start a post with a title and when I finish realize I need to change it. Just wish I could crack the code of catchy and viral and not just informative! LOL aren’t we all?!
Nile, thanks a lot for this series!!! Will hopefully improve my titles so users will find them more compelling. Here is to our success!!!
Great advice Nile…tell it how it is.. 😉 A final editing read often can help as that can make you stop and think about what you said you would be writing about and what you have done…the thing that is getting me is the broken promises of content and the very badly written posts – that are not only bad grammar (trust me I am not grammar police…LOL) but wrong words…missing words etc…so reading is pointless…that is why bloggers can still get bad press and like all things a few perversely can give create and influence an opinion disproportionately…!
Yes, I think some do this deliberately to lure readers to their articles. I have been misled several times to check out a site or article because the title seems relevant only to find out that the content is entirely different from what it was claiming it to be.
Nile, I write the article first and then the feeling of my core message within is the title. My tiltes that I use are nothing that you would say fits until after you read and understood the core message then it makes sense.
I feel ya, making sense of anything out here is getting harder and loving it each day is what I feel a great challenge in my world. Now, reading articles that have something to them is great for me no matter what the titles says. It just has to make sense as usable information. I love articles that come from the writers experiences not just copy. I find more feeling with a real message when it is done that way, by the writer.
Thanks Nile for keeping us aware of facts and suggestions you know from your experience. Love it.
Thanks Nile!
You see that same issue play out in the offline world as well.
So the situation you describe happens quite a bit.
Some rather amateurish affiliate marketers try this
same sort of thing.
They typically use catchy (yet) non relevant images,
that lead you to believe that by clicking on them,
you’ll be taken to a page that deals with image, when in reality
you’re taken to a sales page for something else entirely.
thanks for sharing!