What's so important about headlines?

I’ve never given much thought to the headlines I use on my blog. I’ll type up what I have to say and then make up something for the title box. Often, it has no keywords. Sometimes, you might not even be able to figure out what the headline had to do with the post.

But since I’ve been blogging over at Alzheimer’s Notes, I’ve had to pay attention to my headlines. Why? Because it seems headline are important.

Headlines are important because we live in world where everything is scanned. We scan headlines and make a snap decision as to whether or not to read the article. It’s always been this way to a degree. But since the advent of RRS feeds, Bloglines, and Google Readers, it’s gotten worse.

Headlines, apparently, are what Google and all the other search engines go by. If your headline doesn’t clearly state its topic, for example Alzheimer‘s, somewhere in the headline, people searching for this topic might never find your post.

Obviously, I’ve been missing something here. I’ll have to start considering my headlines, well at least over the other blog. This one will probably stay the same…

Meanwhile, for anyone interested in creating captivating headlines, check out the following links:

Copyblogger has 10 Surefire Headline Formulas that Work

Dave writes about The Importance of Good Blog Entry Titles

Brave New Traveler has come up with 5 Ways to Craft Brilliant Travel Blog Headlines

Chris debates Witty vs descriptive headlines - what works best?

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