The importance of web headlines cannot be underestimated. They are the entry points to web stories. The editors must keep the following four key characteristics in mind while writing web headlines:
1. Virtual gateway
Web headlines must be smart and snappy, even commentative, to motivate web users to click. Headlines that fail to capture the attention of web users are ignored. They are like virtual gateways that never open depriving web users the opportunity to enter the story page.
2. Point size
Web headlines are displayed in two point sizes. The headlines on the story page are displayed in a large point size while the headlines on the landing page are published in a small point size. The smaller point size allows online editors to use more words to provide extra information. Web editors must take advantage of this fact to write descriptive headlines. This will dramatically increase the chances of headlines getting clicked.
3. Context as keywords
The web headlines are written for two masters. The first is the web reader for whom the headlines are entry points into a story. The second are the search engines who mine the keywords in headlines to index stories.
Headlines without a proper noun are unlikely to figure in web searches. For instance, the chances of the following headline to make the top of the search page are virtually zero:
A great film to watch
However, when the headline writer inserts the film name in the headline its chances of being indexed improve.
Chennai Express enthrals viewers
4. News value
When it comes to the landing page, the web headlines do not establish the news value of a story. They are all written in the same point size, and placed in a chronological order with the last headline published first. The web users are given the choice to browse all headlines and decide the stories they want to read.
The display is slightly different on the Home page, where a conscious selection is made by web editors to display the best news stories of the day. The headlines of the top two or three stories on the Home page are generally written in a larger point size. Otherwise, the remaining headlines use one point size.
The lesson: headlines must be sharp and arresting to capture user attention.
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