The Perfect Title For Your Online Course

People often say "You should never judge a book by its cover." However, due to the fact that audiences online are busy and have to make snap decisions, the title of your online course is one of the most important business decisions you can make. Most people will only stay on a web page for 10-20 seconds and if the title of your course doesn't grab their attention right away it won't be successful. Here are seven steps for crafting the perfect title for your online course along with 20 real-life examples to get you started.

Know Your Audience

The best way to start is to get to know your audience. This includes both demographics such as where they live, their marital status, and highest level of education attainment; but also psychographics such as their interests, values, and lifestyles. You can discover this information through surveys or direct interviews with potential customers.

Target SEO Keywords and Phrases

Using a keyword research tool, such as Ahrefs or Google Trends, you can identify phrases and keywords that your audience is searching for. This will help you craft a title that is found more easily.

Go Clear Over Clever

Your course title should be clear; it should not be too clever, as it will leave people confused. For example, take a look at Maven Analytics - Microsoft PL-300 Exam Prep. It is clear what the course is about and the value it will offer.

Focus on the Outcome

When creating your title, focus on the outcome. Consider what the student will learn, experience, or receive as a result of taking the course and emphasize that in the title. For example, New Scientist Academy has a title for Gut health- How your microbiome shapes your health and wellbeing, which emphasizes the outcome of the course.

Use Power Words to Get Attention

Add power words to your title to get the attention of potential customers. Examples of power words include ‘incredible’, ‘amazing’, ‘secret’, ’revolutionary’, and so on.

Make It Memorable

Make sure your title is memorable by making it interesting and unique. This will allow it to stand out more and give potential customers something to remember.

Limit Your Title to 65 Characters

Finally, make sure your title is not too long. Aim to keep it limited to 65 characters or fewer so that it can be seen in its entirety on smaller devices.

Creating Course Titles That Sell

Crafting a convincing course title is an integral part of marketing a course. In order to get potential customers interested, the title must accurately reflect the benefits they will gain by taking the course. For example, the Online Wine Academy has a course called 'Enjoy Any Wine with Any Food' - this is more appealing than simply calling it a 'Wine Pairing Course'. Packt's coding crash course is called '50 Projects in 50 Days – HTML, CSS, and JavaScript', which showcases the potential outcome from taking the course in a concise manner.

Including power words in the title is also important to create an emotional response that encourages customers to purchase the course - words such as 'bold', 'exciting', 'fascinating', 'transform'. Additionally, the title should be memorable and convey the topic concisely. For example, Layla Martin has a course called 'Obliss', and Shine Creative Coaching has a course called 'Freeing Your Voice'. Finally, when creating a title remember to keep it under 65 characters, as this is the limit for Google results pages.

 
• Power Word Generator - Generate power words that are great for making course titles pop
 
• Adjective Generator - Create random adjectives to add onto course names

The Yale Course Name Generator: Crafting A Successful Online Course Title

This generator is perfect for finding that extra bit of oomph you can’t quite put your finger on. The Yale Course Name Generator is designed to create realistic (albeit, slightly silly) course names. But hey — they might just give you a good idea. However, you should be wary of course name generators that promise to give you a ready-to-use title. To create a title that really works, you’re going to have to put in the effort and craft it yourself.  

Ready to go with the perfect course name? William Shakespeare once wrote- “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” Well, with all due respect to Mr. Shakespeare — some of us put a lot of effort into a good name, okay?! That’s why this guide is here anytime you need it. This guide will help you understand your target audience, conduct keyword research, and create a catchy and benefit-driven title.

Creating a successful online course begins with the basics: understanding your audience and their needs, finding the right keywords to target with SEO, and crafting an effective course title that sets the right first impression.  

 
• Brainstorming and researching psychographics
 
• Analyzing Google Trends data
 
• Leveraging the power of copywriting to create cleverness and clarity in your course title
 
• Considering the value that your course will provide
 
• Analyzing data such as your bounce rate or demographics