For many people, a headline is a secondary concern. The body of an article or blog post takes up most of the writing time and effort, and a headline is simply slapped on the top of the page at the last minute because it is necessary. But failing to put the right amount of effort and time into the headline is a mistake because headlines have become so incredibly important. Some eighty percent of people will read a headline, but less than half of them will take the time to read the full article.

Why Do Headlines Matter More Than Ever Before?

With the current landscape of the internet, your headline is much more visible than ever before, and even more prominent than the body of the article. Not only does the headline appear on the actual page, it also appears in search engine results, on social media networks and anywhere else you try to share the article to gain visits. This can be a good thing, because you can try different headline configurations on different channels and decide which is the most effective.

Do Clickbait Style Headlines Work?

A few years back, clickbait was a normal way to try and entice viewers to visit a site, without giving much concern to whether or not the reader would actually be satisfied by the content of the article. Headlines like “20 ways to burn fat without trying, number five will shock you!” were commonplace and the content accompanying the headline would be thin and less than insightful. As SEO progresses, these headlines are less and less effective because even if a reader clicks one, the content does not keep them engaged and on page. Google reads these signals and will not rank the content as valuable, resulting in a loss in rankings.

How Should A Headline Be Structured?

There are a few types of headlines that are considered effective in 2016:

• How to headlines place the value of the article front and center. A simple headline like “How to rank your website higher on Google” or “How to boil an egg” appeals to anyone looking for guidance and casts a wide net among searchers.
• Long lists are more valuable than ever to people searching for information. Headlines like “100 Ways to Rank your Website Higher” or “20 Most Popular Ways to Serve Eggs” are likely to have valuable information. Searchers are less likely to click on a top 5 or 10 list because they have learned over time that the content of such a piece is going to be superficial.
• Headlines that jump on a cultural trend or news worthy event can still be effective, if the content does actually relate to the topic.

Spending a little more time crafting headlines in 2016 can pay off in higher rankings, more visitors and a better reputation among visitors as a reliable source of information.