Your Article Headlines will Make or Break Your Business

Most people with an online presence will have to regularly deal with the issue of coming up with an appropriate headline. The problem is that most people do not take it seriously enough. Many do not realize that the headline is so important that no matter how good the content is, it will never get read if the headline does not beckon surfers to it.

The power of a headline In the offline world of the tabloid press, one headline can sell a few hundred copies while another in the same publication, can sell several million copies. Online headlines are even more important as quite often somebody will not have an opportunity to leaf through, like they do in a print publication. Quite often, even a summary will not be available and all the prospective reader has to go on, is the headline.

Most of us forget that we are motivated to read almost everything that we read online through the headline. Open any news page and you will only click on the headlines that you find interesting. Even on a page of search engine results, you will tend to go for a lower ranked page with a better headline.

What this clearly means is that every little tiny headline that you place on every small piece of content is important and will have an impact on how often that item gets read. Ultimately every little headline will contribute towards the success or failure of your site.

And what makes things even more difficult is the fact that you will be competing with many other excellent headlines online, most of them the work of professional copy writers working for leading websites.

Come up with your headline when the content is done The most effective way of writing good headlines is to come up with your headline only when you have finished reading the content. Not only is it easier to come up with a much better headline when the content is done, but you also be able to come up with different headlines covering different aspects of the article. You can then decide which is the most attractive aspect of the article to base your headline on.

This has become a harder decision to make in recent times because you have to consider other aspects like keywords with search engines in mind and balance this with the most captivating headline that will result in most people clicking on it to read the contents.

Spend more time on the headline and come up with various options Professional copywriters usually spend much more time on the headline than they do writing they content. It is important to come up with several headlines before you settle on your final choice. It is a good idea to regularly test different headlines for the same articles and see which one attracts the most hits.

About the author: S. Rosendahl is a Technical Executive Writer for Website Source, Inc. http://www.websitesource.com. Her established writing skills coupled with experience in the website hosting industry have provided internet professionals with marketing, product and service ideas for many years.

In The News:


Google News
Updated : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:49:35 GMT

Where Angels go...heartbreak follows - Baltimore Sun


Los Angeles Times
Where Angels go...heartbreak follows
Baltimore Sun - 3 hours ago
If you didn't stay up to watch, the Angels came back from a 2-0 deficit last night and had the go-ahead run on third base with one out in the top of the ninth, only to have the situation blow up in their faces when manager Mike Scioscia (right) called ...
Oh, what a ninth! Sox-Halos a classic MLB.com
Angels seething after being squeezed out ESPN
Boston Globe - FOXSports.com - USA Today - Los Angeles Times
all 569 news articles

Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:42:08 GMT

The Ike Whitaker Saga - Washington Post


Washington Post
The Ike Whitaker Saga
Washington Post - 40 minutes ago
In case anyone missed Zach Berman's story in today's paper, Ike Whitaker appears to be done at Virginia Tech. I raise the story in this forum because Whitaker chose Virginia Tech over Maryland amid the usual fanfare that accompanies a top-level recruit ...
Va. Tech WR Whitaker faces misdemeanor charges SportingNews.com
More alcohol woes for Tech wide receiver Whitaker Richmond Times Dispatch
Virginia Tech Collegiate Times Online Edition - The Virginian-Pilot - Daily Press - Washington Post
all 32 news articles

Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:08:42 GMT

Fed creates commercial paper-buying facility - Reuters


Reuters
Fed creates commercial paper-buying facility
Reuters - 32 minutes ago
By Mark Felsenthal and Glenn Somerville WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve on Tuesday announced it would create a special-purpose facility, with the Treasury Department's blessing, to begin buying commercial paper in yet another emergency move ...
Euro, Dollar Gain on Fed Move Wall Street Journal
Fed to Purchase US Commercial Paper to Ease Crunch (Update1) Bloomberg
Washington Post - MarketWatch - New York Times - International Herald Tribune
all 1,209 news articles

Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:17:04 GMT

McCain aims to slow Obama momentum in debate - Reuters


BBC News
McCain aims to slow Obama momentum in debate
Reuters - 51 minutes ago
By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent NASHVILLE (Reuters) - Republican John McCain hopes to halt Democrat Barack Obama's momentum and gain new life in the White House race on Tuesday when the presidential rivals meet in their second debate.
A little word makes big waves on campaign trail CNN Political Ticker
Tonight's debate is in McCain's favorite style The Associated Press
CQPolitics.com - Washington Post - New York Times - AFP
all 1,928 news articles

Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:57:52 GMT

US, Britain, and UN weigh options amid rising violence in ... - Christian Science Monitor


AFP
US, Britain, and UN weigh options amid rising violence in ...
Christian Science Monitor - 40 minutes ago
By David Montero Against the backdrop of a string of suicide bombings in Pakistan, British, American, and United Nations officials are grappling with the idea of a negotiated settlement with the Taliban.
UPDATE 1-Afghan govt denies Saudi meeting was peace talks Reuters India
Afghan official: no talks held with Taliban Xinhua
AFP - Minneapolis Star Tribune - The Associated Press - Hindu
all 453 news articles

Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:09:17 GMT

Nobel Prize awarded for AIDS, cervical cancer research - Los Angeles Times


CTV.ca
Nobel Prize awarded for AIDS, cervical cancer research
Los Angeles Times - 7 hours ago
Luc Montagnier dedicated his award to AIDS sufferers and predicted results on a "therapeutic vaccine" for the pandemic within four years.
2 AIDS researchers receive Nobel Prize Chicago Tribune
Three Europeans win the 2008 Nobel for medicine International Herald Tribune
Detroit Free Press - People's Daily Online - The Associated Press - WTOP
all 1,190 news articles

Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:01:27 GMT

Pentagon denies US jet forced to land in Iran - guardian.co.uk


Daily Mail
Pentagon denies US jet forced to land in Iran
guardian.co.uk - 36 minutes ago
The Pentagon today denied a report that a US plane had been forced to land in Iranian territory. Iran's Fars news agency claimed that five US officials were questioned and released by the Iranian authorities after the plane they were flying in ...
Iran says it forced down Western plane The Associated Press
Iran says US plane violated Iran's airspace Reuters
Bloomberg - BBC News - AFP - United Press International
all 270 news articles

Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:12:58 GMT

Add RSS Feeds To My Web Pages
Website Traffic Promotion


PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Write Benefits in Your Headlines to Deliver the Dream!

When you create headlines, do you put benefits into your... Read More

Copywriting 101: Exclamation Point, Friend or Foe?

My name is Ann and I'm a grammar geek. There,... Read More

Sales Headline Copywriting ? Two Quick Steps to Success

Get a Good Start for Sales SuccessThe headline to a... Read More

The Formulas Freelance Copywriters Employ When Creating Web Content

What is it exactly that copywriters DO when they produce... Read More

The Number One Copywriting Technique That Makes Your Prospects Read Every Word You Write

How does this sound?Today, I'm going to show you how... Read More

Beyond Once Upon a Time: Fairy Tales arent the Only Thing Needing Catchy Openings

Once a upon a recent time in a galaxy not... Read More

Does Your Copy Look Fake To the Search Engines?

From the early days of search engine optimization, keywords and... Read More

The Power of Saying You Can

If you have children, you will doubtless remember saying to... Read More

42 Deadly Ad Copy Sins That Ive Made

I have read thousands of ad copies online and offline... Read More

Four Things Every Web Site Headline Must Do

As you know, I'm constantly making the point that the... Read More

Its Time To Start That Swipe File

Just as great fiction is an art, so is great... Read More

Stop Chasing Away Customers! Bad Copy is Your Worst Enemy

Every day, more and more of us begin new online... Read More

10 Tips for Writing Web Copy

One of the most important aspects of a website today... Read More

16 Golden Rules of Master Copywriting

You could spend thousands of dollars on advertisement and have... Read More

Five Tips for Writing Eyeball-Grabbing Headlines

If you made it this far, the headline for this... Read More

8 Tips for Writing Headlines that Grab Attention (and Keep Prospects Reading!)

Effective headlines make all the difference in whether your prospect... Read More

How To Write Direct Mail That Really, Really Works!

So, you have something you want to sell. It may... Read More

The One Word Every Prospect Craves

It's arguably the most important word in the copywriter's arsenal.... Read More

11 Things You MUST Know Before Hiring a Copywriter!

If you're considering hiring copywriting help for your next brochure,... Read More

How to Write Carrot-Wielding Copy!

A significant reason behind websites that fail is the lack... Read More

Three Steps To Pump Up The Drama In Your Copy

All the world's a story. Video games have storylines; newspapers... Read More

How To Ethically Use A Swipe File For Your Ad Copy

Did you ever wish you could afford to hire one... Read More

How To Write Powerful Headlines

I want to tell you how I go about writing... Read More

Business Writing: When Not To Be Professional

It's time to write your next ad or brochure. Maybe... Read More

7 Powerful Sales Copy Writing Techniques!

Your sales letter is the most important component in your... Read More