online, the title you create for your article is important for two reasons.

First, the title determines how much your article gets read and republished. And secondly, the title plays a big role with search engines. In other words, your title carries dual responsibilities online -- it must attract readers as well as search engines.

Writing Article Titles for Readers

I'm going to share an article writing secret with you. If you want to learn how to create titles that draw people into the article, pick up a copy of Reader's Digest. I don't subscribe to Reader's Digest, but I read the cover every time I'm in line at the grocery store -- religiously.

Why?

Because the Digest knows a thing or two about irresistible titles. In fact, the cover of each issue is nothing more than a list of article titles. And it's worth mentioning at this point that Reader's Digest is one of the best-selling publications on the planet!

Pay particular attention to their "how to" titles and articles. People love a good "how to" article. A successful copywriter once said that if you begin a headline with the words "How to," you can't go far wrong. The title of this section is a prime example: "How to write irresistible titles for your articles."

We love helpful tips and can't get enough of them. We gobble up information that promises to make us healthier or happier, to save us money or make us money, to give us an exclusive edge.

Want proof? Just browse the nonfiction shelves in your local bookstore and see how many titles start with "How to [blank]" or "Twelve easy ways to [blank]" or "Improving your [blank] in 30 days or less."

Writing Article Titles for Search Engines

Here's the secret: Be sure to include your key search phrases at the beginning of your title. If you put them at the end of the title, it will greatly reduce your search engine visibility. Here's why:

When you publish your article through an article distribution site, the title of your article will become the title of the actual web page. In other words, your article will become an individual web page within the article directory's website. And from a web coding standpoint, your article title is also the page's title.

Search engines -- especially Google -- use page title and page content as two key factors in determining how to rank and list a page within their results.

Conclusion

So in order to get the most out of your article marketing efforts, remember that you're writing for people first and search engines second. Strive to create compelling titles that pull readers into your articles, while also incorporating your key phrases for search engine benefit.

Here's a title checklist to help you.

Title Checklist:

?Does your title contain your key search phrase?

* Does your title create a strong desire to read further?

* Does your title suggest that the article is helpful?

* Does your title identify your audience?

* Does your title accurately describe the subject matter?