Three SEO Headline Writing Tips

After my post “Three Tips for Killer Web Headlines” Cheril Vernon asked a great question about SEO or search engine optimization in headlines:

I would like to see more suggestions for headlines and making them SEO friendly. Is it better to put your keywords in the first part of the headline or does it make a difference?

SEO writing for headlines isn’t as difficult as many make it out to be, especially traditional media journalists who often deride writing for ‘a machine’ as stifling to creativity. The key to making SEO headlines work is to make SEO a natural part of the headline. Already, the headline is comprised of a description of the article so the important keyword(s) should already be included in it.

Keyword Placement

To answer Cheril’s question, I don’t think keyword place in the headline makes much difference as long as it’s before the natural search engine cut off. Search engines give you anywhere between five to ten words in their listing before they cut of your headline with the lovely period of ellispsis (…), so if you’re title gets a little wordy, be sure to hit that keyword before it wonders off into nothingness.

Example: Freelance Writing Pros and Cons for the Person Who Wants to Eat and Earn a Living. Your keyword is freelance writing and Google would have likely cut your headline off at: to Eat and Earn a Living if not at for the Person. I’d like to caution you on long headlines, depending on the cut-off, you’re well researched, witty article may not see much traffic.

If I cut this article off at for the Person, I at least get the important/impact point of Freelance Writing Pros and Cons. If the article is not geared toward basic writing pros and cons, but toward specific markets or genre of writers i.e, freelance writing for technical writers; the cut off will make a big difference in reaching your target market.

Keyword Overload

Just like a well written SEO article doesn’t lose itself to its keywords, a well written headline isn’t chock full of them. Resist the temptation to throw in a bunch of keywords to generate hits. Honestly, it’s annoying and those headlines, while ripe with search engine juice, are likely to be ignored by readers.

Most internet users are aware of keyword driven articles. They may not have a name for it, but they resoundingly hate those sites that appear geared toward sucking in anyone looking for “growing tomatoes” by filling the screen with keywords, weirdly structured sentences and billions of largely useless links. Overload your headline and you may turn off the engines as well. Google is known for banning such blatant SEO work.

Check Your Competition

The SEO for Journalists blog had a good piece of advice:

A good test for journalists is to type their headline into Google News before the story is published. If you see results that are similar to the topic you’re writing about, it’s probably a good headline for search. If you see the exact same headline multiple times, you should rewrite it to stand out from the others, possibly by putting different keywords at the front of the headline. If you see a random assortment of topics, you need a new headline.

Got a great headline writing tip or question? Email me (Terreece@TerreeceClarke.com) or post below!

Three Tips for Killer Web Headlines

The other day I wrote “Down with Deb Ng! Headline Writing 101” where I touched on misleading headlines and basic, across the medium rules for writing headlines. The responses are still coming in, many people tuned in to see what dirt I had on Deb and others were ready to jump to her defense – not that she needs it because girlfriend can take care of herself! Anywho, the headline was a success and I got a few emails asking how to write a headline the right way. The parameters change depending on the genre, so today, let’s look at web writing.

Brief is the word

Five words or less – what is the article about? That’s your headline. Search engines, busy readers and feed skimmers only need one glance to decide if they are going to click your link. Your headline can be longer, but readers often translate a wordy headline into a wordy article.

Writing great web headlines has gotten a little more complicated since the rise of social media and microblogging. Headlines not only need to be short for  readers skimming search engines for interesting titles, you now have to think about the “Retweet factor” and link sharing. A short headline allows for retweeted or forwarded links, title and commentary.

Lists Rock

One sure way to increase your clicks is through lists. I’m not quite sure why people love lists so much, but I know I’m a sucker for those end of the year “Best Rock Songs of…” countdowns and the VH1’s “I Love…” series. Perhaps it’s because lists are direct and can spur debate – what was left out, what should have been ranked higher or lower, etc. They also work well on the web because they are skim-friendly and easily digested. “Three Tips for Killer Web Headlines” is more interesting than “Killer Headlines.” It’s also clear I’m talking about writing a great web headline as opposed to headlines about killers.

Punctuate for Pete’s Sake

I talked about this a little in my last post, but it is worth repeating. In the retweet, Google juice world, using punctuation to make a title brief and clear is one of the best ways to get a reader’s attention. Let’s take a look at a couple of web headlines:

From CNN:

Weir snubbed by ice tour; GLAAD upset

Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jamie Kennedy split

Now insert the missing words and the headlines become long and boring on the eyes: “Weir was snubbed by ice tour and GLAAD upset” or “Jennifer Love Hewitt and Jamie Kennedy have split.” Commas, semi-colons and colons turn long titles into catchy, clickable headlines.

Come across a killer web headline? Post it below!

Down with Deb Ng! Headline Writing 101

Headlines are an important, often overlooked part of article writing. They are what prompt readers to click the link, pick up the magazine or buy the paper. Blog posts, magazine articles and news articles have unique characteristics that will be addressed individually in follow-up posts, but there are a few guidelines that apply across the different styles and medium of the articles.

Interesting & Descriptive

Headlines should attract reader’s attention while giving a brief overview of the article’s content. Sounds easy right? Well, given the dearth of boring and vague headlines in media there’s got to be more to it. A headline should:

• Include action words. Tell readers to stop doing something, start doing something, give something, take something, learn something – spur them to action and translate that action to reading.
• Avoid jargon, abbreviations or profanity. Unless writing for a specialized niche publication in which it is assumed all the readers will have a working knowledge of your niche language or abbreviations/acronyms, don’t use it.
• Be creative. When not a news headline, which tend to be very clear cut and straight forward, interesting plays on words or catchy titles work in grabbing a reader’s attention.
• Use punctuation. Commas, for example can be used instead of the word “and” in headlines. Utilize limited headline space by eliminating word clutter.
• Avoid exclamation points *most of the time. There are some exceptions, but most articles with exclamation points either cry of desperation or sales pitchy-type pieces. If you use one, make it count!

Non-Inflammatory & Clear

“Down with Deb Ng!” I’ve used an exclamation point, unclear language and inflammatory wording to get to you to click the link for this article. It worked, you’re here and it’ll probably work on the search engines. The problem is, the article is not about Deb (a true sweetheart), it was truly only written to prove a point – there are inflammatory, wildly inaccurate headlines all over publications today. This causes a problem for writers, publications and their readers because when you pull a bait and switch it is not only annoying, you’re readers begin to distrust your work and your wolf cries begin fade into the background of the rest of the media noise.

The post title is also unclear. “Down with Deb Ng!” could mean I’m banding together with a group of wild freelancers to crush poor Deb under our boot or it could also mean that “Right on, I’m down (or supporting) Deb Ng!”

The other no-no of this headline is I’m clearly using the Google juice of Deb’s name to boost the blog hits. All around it’s a stinker of a headline and readers are not stupid, they can smell sensationalism a mile away and are usually annoyed by it.

Take the time and make your headlines a priority not an afterthought. The next few blog posts will cover the specifics of writing headlines for different types of articles including blog posts, magazine articles and news.

When do you write your headline, before or after you write the article?

Creating an Outline that Works for You

While creating an outline is an important part of the article writing process, it doesn’t have to be your 6th grade English version of an outline. Outlines can be made to fit your style including as many details as you’d like, however there are some parts of an outline that you must include in order for it to really work as a framework from which you can base your article:

How it begins

When outlining your article, it’s best to formulate your lede (lead) paragraph. The lede paragraph, depending on the type of article, can tell the readers what they’ll learn from the article, how the article’s information will affect them, or share an anecdote that relates to the information that follows. Creating this paragraph will tell you how to formulate the rest of your outline.

How it ends

The conclusion is usually not chronologically created after the lede, however it is second in importance only to the lede. The mark of a good article is a great beginning and a strong ending. The lede and the conclusion are often the sections on which writers spend the most time. Ask yourself, what do you want to leave the readers thinking about from the piece? Whether the reader comes away feeling satisfied that they’ve read good information or they are left with an action prompt, the one thing is to never leave them wondering what happened or worse, looking for whether the article continues on the other page.

The middle shouldn’t meander

An outline is designed to keep you and the article on task. List the points you want to cover chronologically with sub-sections. Every section of an outline can be complete sentences or fragments that serve as writing prompts for each paragraph/section.

The article’s body should be outlined to include source information, especially professional titles and quotes. It shaves time off writing if you have Dr. Snuffilumps, chief medical yogi and OTRA certified’ practitioner’s info right there on the same sheet. It helps the writer decide whether some information will be used as a pull out quote or clarified in shorter, easy to understand bullet points.

Play time counts

Outlines and their formats allow you to play with your article to enhance flow and accuracy awithout reworking an article repeatedly. Play around with the style that works best for you. List every detail or coordinate general ideas. This tool is also helpful in addressing any concerns your editors may have about your piece and vice versa. When an anxious editor wants to see your progress they can see the direction your piece is taking by viewing your outline.

It can also help protect a writer from writer’s block. Plugging information into an outline is like completing a jigsaw puzzle, there’s no pressure like there is when you finally start writing the article.

Here are some great article structure resources:

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE OUTLINE

Newspaper Article – Raft Pyramid

How to Write an Outline

Outline Your Way to A Better Article

All great works start with good foundations and articles are no different. An outline is a great tool to give your article solid support and using one has many benefits:

Faster Writing

Many writers think taking the time to write an outline adds one more time consuming step to the writing process. The truth is, having an outline speeds up the writing process by giving writers a road map to their article. It is much harder to write a clear, focused and coherent article off the cuff. If you tend to write your articles straight from your head, how many times do you stop to think about what direction to take? How much time do you spend editing things on the back end? An outline cuts time off of both processes dramatically.

An outline gets your brain thinking about the order in which to present your information, which information is key to the piece and which information may not be as significant or may need to be presented in a different way i.e. bullet points or pull-out box. It also helps you identify your lead and conclusion, arugably the hardest parts of the article to produce.

Better Organization

Outlines are essentially organization tools. They are your thoughts, research and interview information gathered and structured – they are the bones of your piece. When writing off the cuff, writers often have to stop to go over notes, scroll through interview transcriptions, etc. An outline forces you to go over the information before writing the piece. You can even make an outline detailed to note pages and transcription time or notations, if you choose.

An outline doesn’t have to be the tightly structured, rigid writing technique you learned in middle school. It can adapt to your writing style and needs, remember, it’s to help you get organized, you won’t have to turn it end with your finished project at the end of class! Tomorrow we’ll look at some outline techniques and formats in an effort to find a few that the FWJ community can adopt for your own use.

Do you use an outline before writing an article? What about blogs? Tell us how it works for you!

Blog Posts vs. Articles: Format

Today we complete the blog versus article comparison. Previous posts covered length and POV,  audience expectation and today we are going to look at formatting differences.

Articles have a pretty standard format. There’s the lede (lead) paragraph, some quotes, source citing, each new idea is in a new paragraph and there is a conclusion paragraph to tie it all together. Articles that have more information will also have bullet points or sub-sections with different headers. It’s a simple concept that’s not so easy to execute successfully no matter what those “Freelance Writing is Easy!” ads contend.

Blog posts have more flexibility in their approach. Some write posts much like they write articles – lede, supporting paragraphs and conclusion. In blog posts it is often not necessary or possible to have quotes, especially when the writer is tackling a topic from their point of view. *Side note, quoting yourself within a post is dumb, it’s like speaking about yourself in third person.

Articles must have outside supporting sources to corroborate the information presented by the writer, a blog post not so much. I don’t advise you just make up random stuff without some grounding in reality, common fact, etc. if you want to really make a living as a freelance writer. When blogs do cite information gleaned from other areas, and they must cite it otherwise it’s plagiarism, they usually just give a quick shout out or link to the blog as opposed to an article’s more formal citation process.

Example:

Blog:

“The OWL at Purdue University defines plagiarism as the uncredited use (both intentional and unintentional) of someone else’s words or ideas. Many writers and not all of them are newbies, include information in their articles, blog posts, etc., that originally appeared somewhere else without giving credit to the originator of the information.”

or

“Deb Ng had a great post today about freelance writing routines that discussed how maintaining a routine demands people have more respect for your time.”

Article

“In September 2003, The University of Iowa Health Science Relations and Dr. Nicole Nisly published a report that said yoga can be helpful in reducing the need for medication in mild cases of asthma and high blood pressure. The report also said yoga helped people cope with Parkinson’s disease, attention deficit disorder and back pain.”

Blogs posts tend to focus on bite-sized bits of information in shorter, skim-enabled paragraphs. Visually there is more white space and the important idea is placed “above the scroll.”

Basic writing techniques, rules and information apply easily to both writing styles. Whether it’s a blog post or an article, the writer needs to communicate with their audience, present clear, concise information and follow grammar and style rules. Good writing shines no matter the venue.

Follow Article Writing on Facebook

Heads up FWJ crew, Article Writing at Freelance Writing Jobs has a Facebook fan page! Come on over for great post links from FWJ and other great sites, stimulating conversation and an opportunity to ask all your deep, dark article writing questions.

Blog Posts vs. Articles: Audience Expectation

Today we further our discussion on the difference between blog posts and articles for both the web and print. In “Blog Posts vs. Articles: Length and Point of View,” I discussed how many of the tools, tips and tricks I publish here on Article Writing are applicable to both blog posts and articles. Successful application of interviewing tips, lede creation, etc., depends on knowing how to cater your writing skills to the piece. Defining the difference between blogs and articles means looking at not only the length and POV, we also need to understand audience expectation.

When writing an article, writers should always think about the audience for which they are writing. Knowing their habits and meeting their needs is important to having a successful article and a successful freelance writing career. They want the latest news and gossip without the drawn-out teasers and commercials of television. Your reader could be a busy professional looking for an expert, or at least a knowledgeable person’s advice on a product; or a hobbyist looking for instruction or ideas on a new project. Imagine a busy parent, who in between tending to their kids, balancing the family budget, driving to activities and wiping mystery goo off the floor, has stopped to browse the net to connect with other parents or research a concern.

Now ask yourself, what do these readers want? What are their needs?

When readers hop on the ‘net they are often looking for a quick read, fix or solution to whatever is going on in their lives. They have limited time and blog posts are there to fulfill that need, while adding personality, opinion and community.

Articles have personality to an extent, many have opinion, but blogs are where the people go to read and talk – hopefully. Blog posts inspire people to read, respond and follow a particular blog. They become invested in the community, interacting with the writers and other commenters.

Articles for both the web and print will inspire comments and letters to the editors, but the expectations are different. The don’t really expect a response from the writer or editor and are often tickled, or horrified, when someone does respond. They also expect a journalist’s approach to the subject matter – information given and shaped by sources and facts rather than the writer. When a person settles down with a magazine they are doing just that – settling in for a period of time to read and they expect in-depth coverage.

So in short (too late) blog posts – quick, informative and community building; articles – in-depth journalism.

Coming Up: Blog Posts vs. Articles: Format

Blog Posts vs. Articles: Length and Point of View

We’re going to take a break from the 5 days, 5 Ways to Enhance Your Writing Skills series and answer a freelance writing question I receive pretty regularly. “What’s the difference between a blog post and an article?” In many ways they are the same and much of the information featured here can apply to both. There are, however, important ways they differ:

Length

Most blog posts are short – between 200 – 300 words. They may be longer, but the majority of posts are designed to give you information quickly before you lose interest – almost like a commercial. Blog writers know they only have so much time before most readers move on to the next item in their feed reader. Topics that require more time to introduce and develop are often turned into a series of blog posts.

Articles fall into two different catalogs: articles for the web and articles for print. Both are longer than blog posts – typically beginning at 500 words. Articles for the web, like blog posts, lean toward getting to the point of the piece. The paragraphs are shorter and there is more ‘white space’ within the article. This style is pleasing to the eye for online readers.

Articles for print can be as long as the editor desires. These articles allow a writer to delve deeper into a topic with multiple sources, in-depth information and plenty of room for anecdotes and subject development.

They vs. You

Blogs posts are definitely more flexible when it comes to point of view. Writers can refer to themselves, speak directly to the readers or write in the third person. On the flip side, a traditional article avoids the use of ‘you’ and ‘I’ is frowned upon. The idea is  once you insert yourself in the piece you take the spotlight off the subject matter and place it on yourself. There are exceptions to this, of course, and first person accounts are found in publications regularly, often in specific departments.

Next up: Blog Posts vs Article: Audience Expectation & Format

Related Posts from the Freelance Writing Jobs Network:

Blogging rules you should follow and rules you can break – by Jennifer

Minor Rant: A Blog is a Blog and a Post is a Post – by Deb Ng

Day 3, 5 Ways to Enhance Your Writing Skills

Day three’s tip is easy – have fun. Even when writers are actively living their dream, they can get bogged down in the everyday activities of being a writer. It is important to remember that while you’re billing clients, scheduling meetings, researching, organizing and working to improve your writing skills you can still have fun and you should, this is a fun job!

Too often when writers really start working as writers – getting paid on a regular basis, they have multiple clients, etc., they lose sight of the awesome-ness of being a freelance writer and only focus on the business of being a writer. Don’t get me wrong, a successful writer never turns away from business matters for long, but all work and no play makes a writer duller than bargain basement knives. This lack of sharp passion will show up in your work, heck it could already be a factor.

Having fun with your work could be as simple as trying new brainstorming techniques or reaching out to a new publication. It’s still work related, but you will benefit from a change in pace. It’s also important to be of the right mood and attitude for your assignments.

I had to write an article on breast cancer survivors and how the diagnosis and overall experience affected families. There was nothing fun about the assignment at first. I was nervous approaching my sources and less than eager to have them relive some of the hardest moments in their life. The article, aptly titled “Surviving Breast Cancer,” became on of my favs. I allowed myself to have fun with both the interview and the format of the article. I simply had a conversation with several wonderful women and wrote about our conversations, Q & A style.

When you have fun with your work and delight in what you do, you work harder to produce better work. The breast cancer article wasn’t a bunch of facts with a person and anecdote thrown in to validate the information, it was people talking and revealing information during the course of conversation and, it was fun.

Relevant Posts:

Day 2, 5 Ways to Enhance Your Writing Skills

5 Days, 5 Ways to Enhance Your Writing Skills

Brainstorming Technique #2 Freewriting

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