Comments on: Newspapers search for Web headline magic

Crafting snappy headlines to suit search engines isn't easy. Will a journalistic art form be lost or born again?

ALT tags
by drew30319 February 3, 2007 8:30 PM PST: Another good idea is to be sure to label your Images with < alt > tags that contain pertinent information. Not only does this help you with SEO, but these tags also are useful for blind users and supporting graphics-less browsing.; Like this Reply to this comment

Does This Mean ...
by markdoiron February 5, 2007 2:28 AM PST: Does this mean the demise of such headlines as this one from the Sept 3, 2005 USA Today website:

"U.S. to offer Iran incentives for dropping nukes".

Hmmm. I wonder two things. Did this appear in the print edition, and where were they supposed to drop them?

--mark d.; Like this Reply to this comment

I don't get my news
by volterwd February 5, 2007 4:57 PM PST: through search engines anyways... and I suspect few do.; Like this Reply to this comment

Headline Blues
by rockgjmom February 7, 2007 7:08 AM PST: I have found the exact same problem when trying to write interesting eye-catching headlines for my publication FamiliesOnlineMagazine.com.

To solve the problem I use a headlines with the keywords and a small paragraph that has some "punchy" content to attract the readers.

My hope is that one day the search engines will improve enough to really figure out article content not just base it on a few items, such as, (HI) and alt tags.; Like this Reply to this comment

headlines are not searchable
by rcamans June 14, 2007 3:41 PM PDT: Actually, many publication have their headlines as an image, not text, and image text is not searchable.; Like this Reply to this comment