Write powerful headlines for web pages

Q. Rachel, I work in a government organisation. We use 'Introduction' 'Summary', 'Discussion', 'Conclusions' and so forth as headings in our reports. My colleagues say I should follow the same pattern when I write content for our new Web pages. I reckon that's crazy. What do you think?
� Jane Patchett, Canberra

A. Chuck those labels out: they're a waste of space. The colleagues are using labels instead of headlines.

Headlines have a powerful impact -- for better or for worse. Companies can double or treble their sales simply by improving a headline on an advertisement or Web page.

With so much at stake, it's worth concentrating on this aspect of your Web copy. The majority of people will read only your headlines, and nothing more. So give those headlines teeth!

Pack headlines with keywords.
Be specific, not general.
Write positive headlines: say what something is, not what it isn't.
Use plenty of headlines: two or three per screen.

'Introduction' is a perfectly good menu link but a hopeless headlines. It breaks rules 1 and 2. Same with 'Services'. 'Services' could apply to anything from ironing pocket handkerchiefs to providing information management software solutions.

Imagine your Web site as a kitchen, and each paragraph as a jar or tin. Every container needs a label. (And almost every paragraph needs a heading.) It's obviously no use if all the containers are labelled 'Ingredients'. They need specific labels like 'Flour' or 'Sugar' or 'Spice'. Better still, give them even more precise labels such as 'Wholemeal wheat flour', 'Cornflour' and 'Rye flour'.

As in the kitchen, so on the Web. The more precise the labels are, the more useful they are as keywords (up to a point).

But we can go one step further than just writing labels. We can add a little more information - turning the label into a headline:

'White flour for sauces and sponge cakes.'
'Vitamin-rich rye flour.'

Another option is to write a compressed sentence instead of a phrase:

'White flour makes light cakes.
'Fight allergies with versatile potato flour.

Use 'yes' words in headlines, every time. The Web is no place for negative language: that tends to be depressing, confusing and generally counterproductive. Avoid playing games like this with headlines on the Web: 'Hate tasteless cookies? Add cinnamon.' Your visitors will remember one phrase: 'tasteless cookies'.

Headlines are a blunt instrument, and should perform a simple job: each one should summarise the information that follows. Be extremely direct, because if you're subtle, those busy, information-hungry visitors may miss the point.

Some people will read the paragraph below your headlines, and some people won't. Just remember that brutal fact, and you'll have a strong incentive for polishing your headlines until they are perfect.

(21 April 2000)

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