Websites, books & tools
Research
BuzzSumo Web Headline Research
Headlines with numerals outperformed other types of headlines, found BuzzSumo in this analysis of 100 million web heads. And longer headlines — we’re talking 16 to 18 words and 80 to 110 characters — may drive more engagement than shorter headlines.
5 Characteristics Of High Converting Headlines
The best web headlines are clear, include a tail as well as a head, can be negative, are short (5-9 words) or long (16-18 words) and include a number, says thought leader Neil Patel in this research roundup.
Compounding Blog Posts: What They Are and Why They Matter
Headlines that work for blog posts tend to be longer, according to Hubspot — 6 to 13 words for the most consistent boost in traffic and hits.
Headline Optimization
Making key tweaks to your headline can boost clickthroughs by 10%, according to a case study by MECLABS’ Dr. Flint McGlaughlin in this MarketingExperiments.com article.
Increase Content Marketing Success With Helpful Headline Tips & Tools
Headlines with odd numbers outperform headlines with even numbers by 20%, says Jodi Harris in this Content Marketing Institute article. Editing your headline to eight words can result in a 21% boost in clickthroughs.
Tips
#ACESchat
Weigh in or follow along as copyeditors debate the latest in web headlines and more.
How to Write Better Headlines [Infographic]
Add a number, an attractive adjective and call-to-action words — and voila! You’ve got a catchy web headline. You’ll also find online marketing headline templates in this handy guide.
World’s Best Headlines: BBC News
The BBC writes the world’s best web heads, according to usability expert Jakob Nielsen. Steal tricks from the BBC for writing online headlines that are short, clear, front-loaded, context free and more.
Tools
Coschedule Headline Analyzer
Paste your headline into this cool tool. You’ll get a score and tips for improving word balance, length, the first and last words, keywords, sentiment and more.
https://revvingupreadership.com/2010/06/web-writing-must-conquer-screen-reading-woes-resources/
How can you reach readers where their eyes are?
Web visitors spend 57% above the fold, or on the first screen of a webpage, according to the Nielsen Norman Group. They spend 74% on the first two screens.
Learn how to find out how to reach visitors where their eyes are at Reach Readers Online — our web-writing workshop.
There, you’ll learn how to stop dropping the best-read element on your webpage … how to avoid getting your head cut off on smartphones … how to get found with Ann’s simple tricks and tools for SEO … and how to overcome the obstacles to reading on the screen to get the word out on mobile devices.
