Tagline – The 10 Words That Make or Break Your Blog

Blogs tagline should capture what the blog is in about 10 words. Great tagline becomes a slogan that you can use in the social media, in business cards and every time you describe your blog. This post shows how to create a perfect tagline, with a step by step process and examples around the web.

Remember the short description, 10 words or so, that was mentioned in the part 1 of this series, the How to Write an About Page -post? That short description can be your tagline. And those 10 words might make or break your blog...

The Importance of a Blog Tagline

Tagline - Make It or Break ItWhat is a tagline? Blogs tagline describes the blog in 10 words or less. The tagline is used as blogs description, which in many WordPress themes (and other blogging platforms as well) can be displayed with the blogs title.

Because of this, the tagline is not only important for search engine optimization, but also, tagline is the first thing anyone sees when they enter your blog (both your readers and the search engine crawlers).

Thus, the short description for your blog, a tagline must deliver a crystallized message to your reader about the blog and the content in it, that makes a visitor decide to dig deeper into your blog.

For search engine optimization, the tagline should have your important keywords in it, so the tagline can include the main keyword phrase or related terms your targeting, if that is applicable.

However, it is more important that your tagline is descriptive and/or catchy so that it instantly tells new reader what your blog is about. You'll have plenty of other ways to improve your blog SEO than the tagline.

Characteristics of a Great Tagline

Your tagline is your branding message. Great brand stands out, great blogs stand out, great tagline help you to stand out.

Great tagline is

  • short
  • clear
  • memorable
  • catchy
  • informative

That short, memorable, informative and catchy tagline should deliver the message of

  • your blog
  • your mission
  • your promise
  • your brand

Quite easy to do all this with just a few words, don't you think?

These questions might help you form your perfect tagline:

  • What is your blog about, what is your blogs focus?
  • So what? What BENEFITS a visitor gets from you
  • What are your main "selling points"?
  • Who are your readers?
  • What do you provide your readers with?
  • What action(s) are you trying to evoke in your readers?
  • How does your blog differ from competing blogs?
  • What key phrases you want someone to instantly recall when your blog is mentioned?
  • How can you make the tagline personal and stand out?
  • What are the taglines of my favorite websites and are they any good?

Different Tagline Strategies for Blogs

Different blogs have used different kind of tagline "strategy" on their blogs, pick one that suits your style and blog the best and make a killing with it!

  • Bragging / Personal Brand Tagline
    • e.g. Skills to Pay the Bills - ShoeMoney (rotating secondary taglines, like "Kind Of A Big Deal" and "Its Like Fishing With Dynamite")
  • Brand / No Tagline
    • e.g. TechCrunch
  • Catchy / Funny Tagline
    • e.g. Same old shit, different day. - Joshuaink
  • Informative Tagline
    • e.g. Copywriting Tips for Online Marketing Success from Copyblogger
  • Keyword Rich Tagline
    • e.g. Internet Marketing and Making Money Online - DoshDosh
  • Minimalistic Tagline
    • e.g. Tweaking Websites - Yoast
  • Strictly Business Tagline
    • e.g. News About Tech, Money and Innovation - VentureBeat

Categorizing different taglines is not easy, or even necessary as many good taglines combine the elements of different strategies and thus, won't fit under one umbrella.

Tagline Examples Around the Blogosphere

Sometimes it's not easy to find the actual taglines, because many blogs are optimized for search engines and the taglines might not even be visible, but here's a list of taglines I made today:

This is by no means comprehensive list of taglines, or even a list of best taglines, even thou there are some great ones on the list, it's merely a list of taglines to inspire your own tagline ideas, brainstorming and writing..

The most common tagline strategy seems to combine keyword rich and informative tagline strategy, common for great blogs, company taglines and best selling taglines.

Surprisingly many of the most successful blogs utilize the no-tagline strategy, but I'm guessing that's because those blogs are so big that they just don't have to use a tagline anymore.

How To Write the Perfect Tagline

  • Make it short, 3-15 words
  • Remember your target audience
  • Use positive language, no negative words like won't/don't/no
  • Focus on the benefits
  • It's often better to be clear than clever

This post is the second part of the series that started with the How to Write an About Page.

Best Taglines Are Not Clever, They Are Clear and Still Stand Out

Discussion

Now it's your turn - What is your blogs tagline and how happy you are with it?

Here's more posts like to this:
  1. How to Make Your Blog SEO Friendly
  2. How to Increase Blog Traffic
  3. How to Write an About page in 8 Simple Steps
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Published on Jul 26, 2009 (Last updated on Oct 26, 2010)
Topic: Blogging
Tags: , , ,

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