by UmiNoor

Created on: February 25, 2010   Last Updated: March 26, 2010

An effective article headline is like a good bait that will hook your reader and reel him into reading your article. It should attract your readers and grab their attention.

Reason for writing effective article headline

Learning to write effective article headline is a must for all internet writers because the only way a reader will decide if your article deserves to be read is through the article headline. When your article appears on the results page of the search engine, the headline of your article is the first thing the searcher sees. And to make the searcher click on your article link, you must make your article headline click friendly.

Three rules to a click friendly article headline

Basically, there are three rules you must follow in order to write effective article headlines.

1. Attention grabbing

Your article headline must grab the reader's attention and inspire his curiosity to read your article. Compare the two headlines below:

a. Sixty-year old woman saves boy from burning building

b. Boy saved from burning building

Which of the above headlines grab your attention? Title a is more attention grabbing as you would be curious to know how a sixty-year old woman could possibly save a boy from a burning building.

2. Must reflect content

Your article headline is only effective when the content delivers what is promised in the headline. Don't write a headline "Six Ways to Get Your Girlfriend Back" and then just give four ways. And don't have a title like "Five Easy Ways to Lose Weight Without Dieting" and then suggest the reader go on a diet. You will lose your readers and ruin your reputation and readers will not trust what you'll write in the future.

3. Search engine friendly

In order for your reader to find your article, the headline of your article must be search engine friendly. Your most important keywords must be found in the headline so that search engines will know what your article is all about.

If your article is about Ballroom Dancing and "ballroom dancing" is your most important keyword phrase, the phrase must appear in your headline. For example, "Ballroom Dancing : Finding the Right Partner" or "How ballroom dancing saves my marriage".

You can go online to article directories and some social bookmarking site and check out some of the most effective article headlines that have been written. Ask yourself what made you click a headline to an article? Try and copy the way the headline was written and follow the above three rules and you'll start to write effective headlines for your articles.

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