How to Write Better Headlines [Infographic]

As much as we hate to admit it, sometimes the headline of your blog post can be even more important than the article itself.

Think about how many headlines you read every day while searching online or checking social media. What makes you actually click on the article and read it? Usually, it's the headline -- which is why it's so important to spend time coming up with a good one.

It's easy to let all of that overwhelm you and just settle for a "good enough" headline. But that's not how you're going to be able to grow your blog. Before you publish a new post, you need to come up with a compelling headline that catches the reader's eye -- otherwise your post may not get read at all.

There's a certain science to writing a great headline. Some headline templates or formulas tend to work better than others. For example, research shows that informative headlines like lists (that start with a number), how-to titles, and guides tend to get more readers and shares.

Want help in quickly writing an attractive headline? Create your own using the templates and ideas in the infographic below from IntNetworkPlus. First, pick one of the six headline templates; then, mix and match from the adjectives, verbs, phrases, and calls-to-action below to create unique, compelling titles that readers will want to click on.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published in August 2014 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.