4 Simple Rules to Craft Better Blog Post Titles
Your title is your first impression—make it count!
In a world where Christian authors, podcasters, and speakers are competing with endless scrolls and notifications, a strong title is often the only chance you have to stop someone long enough to click. It’s the front door to your message.
A great title sparks curiosity, promises value, and helps Google (and your ideal reader) find you. A weak one gets ignored—no matter how Spirit-led the content is.
Here are four proven principles that work well for any topic, plus the pitfalls to dodge.
1. Include a Keyword People Are Actually Searching For
People don’t search for “Musings on Grace.” They search “how to explain God’s grace to kids” or “Bible verses about grace for hard days.”
Pro tip: Open a separate browser window, start typing your topic into Google, and watch the autocomplete suggestions. Those are real searches real people are doing right now. Pick the one that best matches what your post actually delivers and work it naturally into the title.
2. Be Clear, Not Cute
Clever can be memorable, but confusing is fatal. Clarity wins clicks.
Bad example: “When Heaven Whispers Through the Noise”
Good example: “3 Simple Ways to Hear God’s Voice in a Busy Season”
The second tells the reader exactly what they’ll get and why it matters to them today. Save the poetic lines for inside the post.
3. Use Numbers or Questions
Our brains love specificity. Plus, these things are proven attention grabbers.
Numbers promise a quick, scannable read. Questions tap into the exact problem keeping someone up at night.
Winning examples:
– “7 Morning Prayers Every Busy Mom Needs”
– “How Do I Forgive When It Still Hurts?”
– “5 Scriptures to Pray Over Your Prodigal Child”
These formats perform amazingly well in email open rates and social shares, too.
4. Avoid Super Long Titles
Aim for 6–10 words when possible (60–70 characters max so it doesn’t get cut off in Google search results).
Too long: “The Ultimate Comprehensive Guide That Will Teach You Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Writing Devotionals That Actually Touch People’s Lives”
People want a quick win, and most will not read to the end of that long title. They will move on to the next search result, and you’ve lost clicks.
Just right: “How to Write Devotionals Readers Can’t Forget”
Clear and to the point. (Click.)
ACTION STEPS
Pull up your last three blog posts (or podcast episodes). Using these 4 rules, write out a few different options that could replace your current titles. Read them out loud—which version would make YOU click?
Choose one rewritten title for each, and update those posts today. And don’t forget to re-share (as you should anytime you update old content).
A great title isn’t about showing off how creative you are; it’s about serving the reader who needs your message right now.
Steward your words well—starting at the title.
May your next title open the exact door God wants opened.
