Visiting websites is the largest modern day hobby or work tool that modern day society has ever known. The machine is switched on and away you go, travelling around the world in seconds, buying goods, exchanging news, researching and writing articles and blogs.
Many sites nowadays have areas for comments where the visitor can view an article or product then leave an opinion or review, a comment.
If you are the writer of one such article what do you hope for?
Do you look in the comment box with dread?
Do you look forward to reading others opinions of your work?
Whatever happens if you get to the comments box and it is empty are you disappointed? Yes?
Why?
Why fear what we might read and then feel rejected?
What is it that makes us feel we have been personally bypassed when figures show 800 people have looked your work but not one had left a comment, good or bad?
Many of us forget that the machine that holds all the answers is just that, a machine, we forget that the people using that machine only have milliseconds of time to spend viewing each hit, so if they click and find your work and the title doesn't grab them, then off they go, no interest, no time and therefore no comment, however when they do find a title that grabs them, they do read an article that interests them and a percentage do leave a comment. Never feel that your article is not good enough, just accept that it has been read by those who want to read it but do not have the time or feel there is nothing further to be added.
Is the importance of getting seen, read and commented upon in the title?
Many would say yes, the title is the hook, it catches the eye, it grabs the imagination or it might be just what the reader is looking for, some titles will read as long as the article and can put the reader off, other titles just don't have that zing, for example if you are writing about brown roofing tiles the title is really not going to stand out as appealing if it is simply called Brown Roofing Tiles, ah ha, or is it? Is that person looking for brown roofing tiles going to stop and read your article? Of course they are you have got what they are looking for, short and sweet. The title is the headline of the article; you want the reader to know what it is about.
If you had played around with the brown tile title and called it The Terracotta Essential for the Top of your House it might have gotten bypassed by the brown tile researcher, therefore maybe it is not so wise to be clever with simple articles or ones that have a definite field. Does it matter that there are many titles on the internet with the same name? No, what matters is getting the article in the right field, with a title that suits.
Viewing an article that catches your eye can change several factors of your life, you may find the brown tiles you have been searching for, you may learn a new piece of trivia that will win you quiz night bonuses, you also might learn how to improve your article writing, whatever you are looking for if there is a comment box, stop and think how you feel when your comment box is empty and how you might make another writers' day, a simple, short comment free from abuse can lift a writers confidence.
If you are writing an article hoping to catch the eye of the brown tile researcher, think about how you are going to catch their attention.
Very nicely written Glynis!