Headlines.
Craft.
Clarity.
Every topic this blog covers, organized so you can find what you need without reading in order. Pick an area and go deep.
What Google actually does with your title tag, when it rewrites it, and how to write titles that match search intent without sounding robotic.
Google began rewriting title tags more aggressively in 2021. Understanding the conditions that trigger a rewrite lets you write titles that survive the process intact.
Search intent is the actual goal behind a query. Titles that reflect intent outperform titles that just repeat keywords, and the difference shows in both ranking and click-through rate.
Google displays roughly 600 pixels of title text in desktop results. That translates to about 50-60 characters in most fonts. Here is what happens when you go longer, and when that is acceptable.
Front-loaded keywords are easier for Google to parse and for readers to scan. The effect is not dramatic on every query, but it is consistent enough to be worth the habit.
How headlines behave differently when people are scrolling a feed versus searching for something specific. The psychology of interruption versus intent.
Facebook explicitly suppresses posts that use specific clickbait patterns. Knowing which patterns trigger the penalty lets you write compelling titles that the platform still distributes.
Feed scrolling is fast and habitual. The conditions that make someone pause are different from the conditions that make someone click a search result. This post examines the difference.
The og:title tag lets you set a different title for social sharing than the one you use for SEO. Most sites do not use this option. Here is when it makes a meaningful difference.
Practical testing approaches using tools that are free and already available to most writers. How to interpret results without a statistics background.
Search Console shows click-through rate by page and query. With a structured approach to title changes and timing, you can use it as a free headline testing environment.
Email subject lines are headlines. Most email platforms include A/B split testing. Using email as a headline testing ground before publishing an article is an underused technique.
Statistical significance matters in rigorous testing. But most writers do not have traffic volumes that make rigorous testing feasible. Here is a practical framework for smaller datasets.
What readers actually respond to and why. Curiosity gaps, specificity signals, trust cues, and emotional relevance examined through real headline examples.
Curiosity gaps work by withholding information a reader wants. Used carefully, they create genuine engagement. Used carelessly, they become the mechanism behind the worst clickbait.
Readers perceive specific numbers as more credible than round ones. This applies to titles with timeframes, lists, quantities, and measurements. The effect is subtle but consistent.
If you have a headline question that does not fit neatly into these categories, the contact page is the right place to start.
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