Writing web headlines

If you're editing copy or writing headlines for the Web instead of print, some of the same rules apply. But you also need to familiarize yourself with different concepts including understanding SEO or search engine optimization. A New York Times piece by Steve Lohr in 2006 explains why traditional news outlets are paying more attention to key words in online headlines. Shawn Smith suggests the best online headlines are specific, clear and concise. And Leslie Rotan of detnews.com says editors must work faster and smarter when they're handling news copy online.

Two headlines, same story?

Take a look at the different takes the Detroit papers had on the day-after Christmas holiday sales. The Free Press headline takes an optimistic approach, saying "Big discounts lure shoppers to malls." The Detroit News tells a different story, with a headline that says "After sluggish holiday, Wednesday is another letdown." It's the same coverage area, same malls, same shoppers. Can they both be right? Can headline writers or news editors slant the news with their own interpretations? A close read of both stories shows they had similar facts. But reading the headlines side-by-side this morning left me - a reader - puzzled.

It's all in the headline

In class last week, we talked about writing for the web and how it differs from writing for print. We also touched on the importance of headlines on web stories. Readers often skim stories on the web and a headline literally has only a second to grab a site visitor's attention, according to Steve Outing, a journalist and online media pioneer. Howard Finberg, of the Poynter Institute, wrote an interesting column a few years back on boring web headlines. The conclusion: If you want people to read what you write - online or in print - you need to have an interesting headline that includes keywords and cleverly captures the story. As evidence, check out the most emailed story on today's New York Times web page. It's a column by Maureen Dowd. I'm guessing the headline - Should Hillary Pretend to be a Flight Attendant? - has something to do with why it's the most emailed story today.
Do you agree? Do you decide what you'll read based on the headline? Did the Hillary headline pull you in?