How to write headlines that get clicks without clickbait

Your headline decides whether anyone reads the article. It's also the part Google looks at hardest for clickbait. The trick is to be specific rather than sensational. Specific headlines earn clicks and keep trust. Sensational ones earn one click and lose the reader.

A simple formula

Most good headlines have two parts: what it is and why it matters to this reader.

• "Page load time: 7 fixes that cut ours by 60%"
• "Why India's middle order keeps collapsing in overseas Tests"
• "Home loan rates in 2026: what the latest cut means for your EMI"

Each one tells you the topic in the first few words, then gives a concrete reason to click. No mystery, no exaggeration.

What counts as clickbait

Google's Discover guidance tells publishers to avoid tactics that inflate engagement by using misleading or exaggerated details, or by withholding the information needed to understand what the content is about. Watch for these:

• Curiosity gaps. "You won't believe what happened next."
• Exaggeration. "This changes everything", "the only guide you'll ever need".
• Shouting. ALL-CAPS words and "!!!".
• Bait and switch. A headline that promises more than the article delivers.

A curiosity headline can still be honest. "We skipped the CDN and our site got faster" raises a question the article answers. The line is crossed when the headline hides the point or overstates it.

Length

Aim for roughly 40 to 70 characters. Google cuts titles in results by pixel width, not a fixed character count, so put the words that matter at the start. On a phone, anything past about 60 characters is at risk of being cut.

Why Google rewrites your title

Google's documentation explains that it may generate a different title link when the title tag is too long, stuffed with keywords, full of boilerplate, or doesn't match the page. To keep your own title:

• Make each page title unique.
• Describe the page accurately and concisely.
• Avoid repeating the same keyword or the same site-wide text in every title.
• Keep the main heading on the page consistent with the title tag.

Use numbers when they're real

Numbers stand out in a list of results and set a clear expectation. "7 fixes" tells the reader how much they're getting. Just make sure the number is real. "7 fixes" with three padded ones is its own kind of bait.