The print headline has only one master: the newspaper reader. In contrast, the Internet headline has two masters.
The first master the Internet headline needs to please is the web user, who is extremely fickle and is always itching to move on. This user will ignore news reports whose headlines fail to enthuse him. To catch his attention, the Internet headlines have to be smart and interesting.
The second master is the search engine spider or robot. The search engine sends its spiders crawling all over the Internet. They copy headlines, which are indexed and stored in the database of the search engine.
The indexing is done based on the words used in the headline. For instance, an Internet headline that uses the name Bachchan will index the story under the keyword Bachchan. This headline will then be displayed when a user searches for Bachchan.
However, if the headline writer uses the word filmstar, then the search engine will store the headline under the keyword filmstar. The word filmstar is not a concrete or specific word. A search for the word filmstar will throw up stories about filmstars from across the world, and not about Bachchan alone.
Such a headline would have failed to grab the attention of the search engine, and cannot be considered a good Internet headline.
So, when writing an Internet headline keep both the masters in mind.
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