See even the title causes a little stir & I’ve got a hunch that I’ve succeeded at the initial point of this blog. Since everyone these days has a blog about something or another, in order for your blog to get real traffic, you need to create some really compelling headlines and content. And that’s what allows your blog to flourish and your analytic report to make you smile-creating eye-catching headlines and “you’ve got my full attention” content. You know how people say you only get 10 seconds to make a first impression? Well you get even less to entice a reader with your headlines according to my research. Users often leave web pages in 10–20 seconds if there’s not compelling content to read and that’s some real pressure if you’re a blogger. I have also read that the average page visit lasts a little less than a minute. “As users rush through Web pages, they have time to read only a quarter of the text on the pages they actually visit (let alone all those they don’t).” Whew-tough crowd to please!
Aside from pleasing the reader, we want eye pleasing analytics capturing the success (or lack of) with our blogs. But how do we know that we’ve achieved our goals and keep those analytical reports looking like mountain tops instead of valleys?
~ Content may be king but headlines are indeed the crown. The bottom of the leading line is that if
your blog title/headline is unnoticeable, it gets passed over in a few short seconds and no one reads further. DOA before the first paragraph. But, if you’ve got something that’s contemporary, media talked about, 
news worthy headline, you can hook even the quickest page glancer. Here’s a good example: Dare I say WILLIAM LEVY…I can almost bet that someone who knows who he is has raised an eyebrow, let out a sigh and with anticipation, is clicking to see what I might say about him or hoping to see a picture of him. 
Ladies, your wish is my command…
On the flip side, someone who doesn’t know who he is, might Google him because the curiosity bug has nibbled and you’re wondering why I’m blogging about him. The point is that I’ve struck a chord and since we are curious creatures by nature, a tantalizing headline is all we need to capture ones attention before getting our content hooks in them. What’s even better from a business standpoint is that if you continue to put out “headlining” blogs, you develop a faithful following. Increased traffic = increased business. Increased business = $$$.
~ Is your image worth 1,000 words so your blog doesn’t have to be? Say you go to the Yahoo homepage and see an image of the Queen of England and she has on an African Head wrap? 2 things would probably occur:
(1) you do a double take, shake your head in disbelief and click on another page
OR what’s more likely is that…
(2) you do a double take, become amused and want to read what supports that picture. And even though I don’t have an image to represent this theory you can almost SEE my point. Images play as much a significant role in the content of blogs as do the words written. They bring color and vitality to the black & white copy that lies on the page and enhances the experience your content brings to the reader. That’s what blogging is all about-enhancing the quality of the readers experience in order to gain a faithful following. That’s what measures the success of your blog and puts you in the “air up there” on the analytics peak.
And if you chuckled at the title of this blog or you’re still looking at William Levy,
the goal has been achieved…lol.
I like the part about headlines being the crown! I absolutely agree with the need to captivate your reader with your titles and images. I want to say that the average time is even less than 10 seconds down to 7. With all the information we feel like we need to consume, only the things that really grab our attention amidst all the noise get us to actually read or click.
And yes, thanks for the chuckle on William Levy and the Queen. Long live great content!
Captivating an audience for your blog is truly an artform – it requires strategizing your content to convey information in a fresh and compelling way. I took a risk with this blog but I think the payoff will be when I see how many people click based on the the title alone. And if it’s truly less than 10 seconds to hook a reader with a headline, let’s hope William Levy & the Queen are as popular as I thought…lol!
Hello! I complitely agree with you! Thank you very much for the tips you gave. In my fresh new blog (at the moment only in italian) about content management, I am using methaphores from the garden (=giardino) and farming world to explain the concepts, using pictures related to them. It is true that we are “bombed” from a lot of information from all over the media world, so it is very important to catch the attention of the web reader, also in a delightful way. Ciao! PS: very nice image that of headlines like crowns of our contents 🙂
Buongiorno! Thank you so much for your comment and I’m glad that you enjoyed the blog. Using imagery to support our written content is so crucial. Not just in giving a “picture” of what we’re saying but to entertain as well. And based on the feedback I’ve been getting on this blog, I think the pictures (especially of William Levy) hasn’t hurt its readership one bit! LOL. Ciao!