Does my actual blog post title have any effect once I create a title tag for SEO purposes?

[seo_f2012]

A little confused about this. Reason I ask is that using my actual title for my title tag sometimes isn't the best for getting ranked, so the title and title tag are sometimes not the same.

[JaneCopland]

Hi there,

The actual blog post title will be regarded as text on the page, just as any other text is, unless of course it also servers as an H1 or H2 tag (in which case, it'll be viewed as the heading). It won't have the significance that the text in the title has, but will still add to the overall keyword usage / targeting on the page.

Cheers,

Jane

[BenFox]

If your blog title is fed into the H1 then it will make a difference.

I'd recommend having a look at the SEOMox 2011 Ranking Factors Survey which looks at on page ranking factors.

http://www.seomoz.org/article/search-ranking-factors#metrics-6

That being said I think there is an art to writing blog titles/headlines. I'd personally sacrifice having a perfect SEO title for having one that's punchy and attention grabbing.

[eyeflow]

I agree Ben there is an art to creating catchy blog titles. Its extremely important to craft a unique, attention-grabbing title to get readers to click- through to the blog posting.

A good title is the key to enticing more readers! Viewers don’t have time to read every blog post if they’re looking for content on something specific. They will want to know exactly what the content will tell them from the title. If the title doesn't have a promising deliverable, viewers will move onto a blog that does promise exactly what to expect in the content. Viewers aren't going to click on the posting unless they have already been hinted at how reading it will benefit them.

I would suggest search for some useful tips to how to make the most of a blog title, try http://www.eyeflow.com/8-blog-titles-that-encourage-a-click-through/ and let me know if you are seeing any increases in traffic!