BETTER

HEADLINES
FOR THE WEB
GATEHOUSE NEWS & INTERACTIVE DIVISION
The agenda

What is SEO?
Jean Hodges
Why is it important? Manager
What are the priorities? of content
development
Good examples GateHouse News
& Interactive
Bad examples
Get started today
Chris Biondi
Manager of
newsroom
development
GateHouse News
& Interactive
What is SEO?

Search Engine Optimization

Making your online content findable, relevant
Mix of technical, human practices
Why is SEO important?

Drives traffic to your site

Helps grow your audience
Why is SEO important?

GateHouse average from search engines: 25%

Priorities

What’s most important?

Headlines (title & URL)

Leads
Beginning of a sentence/headline
Photo title
Cutlines
Headlines from history

Variety, Black Monday (1929)

SOURCE: cnet news, Elinor Mills interview with

SEO expert Stephan Spencer, Netconcepts
Headlines from history

Spencer: Searchers won't

type in ‘Wall St’, they'll use
‘Wall Street.’ Spell it out.
And where's the all-important
phrase ‘stock market?’
Headlines from history

Variety, (1935), rural moviegoers reject movie about rural life

Headlines from history

Spencer: Not a single good

keyword here. ‘Movies’ would
be good to include; that beats
out ‘films’ as a keyword by a
‘country mile’ (pun intended!).
There's an order-of-magnitude
difference in popularity
between those two keywords.
Headlines from history

Chicago Tribune, (1948), reporting wrong election winner

Headlines from history

Spencer: Needs ‘election

results’ in order to gain visibility
for the phrase ‘election results’
as well as for ‘election.’
‘Election results’ is more
popular with searchers than
‘election winner.’
Headlines from history

New York Daily News (1975),

reporting denial of federal bailout
Headlines from history

Spencer: Would suggest

‘President Ford’ over ‘Ford,’
and ‘New York City’ over ‘City.’
Good headlines

QuickTime™ and a
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Good headlines

What makes them good?

Both use first and last

names
QuickTime™ and a
QuickTime™ and a
Both engage readers
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Paladino head starts with

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name
Paladino better with
‘governor’ vs. gubernatorial
McCain could have more
detail
Good headlines

QuickTime™ and a
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Good headlines

What makes it good?

Uses first and last name

QuickTime™ and a
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are needed
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decompressor
QuickTime™ and a
to see this picture.
decompressor
Engages readers
Starts with her name
are needed to see this picture.

Better if it could mention

her new album
Good headlines

QuickTime™ and a
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Good headlines

What makes it good?

QuickTime™ and a
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and a
decompressor
Uses specific team names
are needed to see this decompressor
picture.

Uses keywords such as

are needed to see this picture.

defense, turnovers
Better to use ‘win’ instead
of ‘rout’ - more searchable
Good headlines

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decompressor
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Good headlines

What makes it good?

QuickTime™ and
Uses entire name for Frank
anda a
Lloyd Wright
QuickTime™
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are needed to see this decompressor
picture.
are needed to see this picture.

Says where (Chicago)

Includes keywords: home,
sale
Includes specific price of
home: $2.9 million
Better if you start with
name, but this is pretty
good
Good headlines

QuickTime™ and a
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decompressor
TIFF
are (Uncompressed) decompressor
areneeded
neededtotosee
seethis
thispicture.
picture.
Good headlines

What makes them good?

Both very specific

QuickTime™ and a
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decompressor
Use town names
TIFF (Uncompressed)
to see thisdecompressor
are needed picture.
are needed to see this picture. Use specific numbers
Use first and last names of
artist and complete name
of race
Better if names at
beginning
Bad headlines

QuickTime™ and a
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decompressor
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are needed to see this decompressor
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Bad headlines

What would make it better?

QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed)
are needed
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decompressor
QuickTime™ and a
to see this picture.
decompressor
More specific
What conference?
are needed to see this picture.

What team has state

aspirations?
Bad headlines

Bishop McNamara beats

Hales Franciscan, keeps
QuickTime™ and a
playoff hopes alive
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
QuickTime™ and a
are needed
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Bad headlines

QuickTime™ and a
QuickTime™
TIFF (Uncompressed) and a
decompressor
TIFF (Uncompressed)
are needed to see thisdecompressor
picture.
are needed to see this picture.
Bad headlines

What would make it better?

TIFF
QuickTime™ and a
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(Uncompressed)
are needed
and a
decompressor
to see this decompressor
picture.
Include where it happened
Include name of man, or
are needed to see this picture.

Say where he’s from

Bad headlines

Chicago man charged with

selling heroin at Calumet
QuickTime™ and a
Park motel
QuickTime™
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decompressor
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are needed to see this decompressor
picture.
are needed to see this picture.
Bad headlines

QuickTime™ and a
QuickTime™
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decompressor
TIFF
are needed to see thisdecompressor
(Uncompressed) picture.
are needed to see this picture.
Bad headlines

What would make it better?

are
TIFF
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed)
needed
decompressor
QuickTime™ and a
to see this picture.
(Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Tell what reunion is
Tell where hospital is located
Say when it is
Bad headlines

Neonatal Intensive Care

Unit Reunion set at
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
QuickTime™ and a
Central DuPage Hospital
are
TIFFneeded to see this picture.
(Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Bad headlines

QuickTime™ and a
QuickTime™
TIFF (Uncompressed) and a
decompressor
TIFF (Uncompressed)
are needed to see this decompressor
picture.
are needed to see this picture.
Bad headlines

What would make it better?

Say where home invasions

QuickTime™ and a
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QuickTime™ and a
are needed
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(Uncompressed) decompressor
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were
Find better keywords or
phrases: armed burglaries,
residents tied, taped up
When? What time period?
Bad headlines

Armed burglaries of Crest

Hill, Joliet homes leave
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed)
are needed
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decompressor
QuickTime™ and a
to see this picture.
(Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
residents tied up
Bad headlines

QuickTime™ and a
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF
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(Uncompressed) decompressor
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are needed to see this picture.
Bad headlines

What would make it better?

Indicate this is about

QuickTime™ and a
football, not fishing
Give name of losing team
QuickTime™
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decompressor
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are needed to see this decompressor
picture.
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Score might help make

headline clearer
Bad headlines

Undefeated Gloucester
Fishermen beat Peabody,
42-0

QuickTime™ and a
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decompressor
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are needed to see this decompressor
picture.
are needed to see this picture.
Bad headlines

QuickTime™ and a
QuickTime™
TIFF (Uncompressed) and a
decompressor
TIFF (Uncompressed)
are needed to see thisdecompressor
picture.
are needed to see this picture.
Bad headlines

What would make it better?

Avoid using print headlines

online
One- or two-word headlines
TIFF
QuickTime™ and a
QuickTime™
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(Uncompressed)
and a
decompressor
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
need to be rewritten
Be more specific
are needed to see this picture.

Column is about a young fox

learning about the world
Bad headlines

Young fox prowls Plattsburgh

neighborhood, learns life
lessons

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Bad headlines

QuickTime™ and a
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decompressor
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are needed to see this picture.
Bad headlines

What would make it better?

Need to say what town:

Andover
Is there an interesting
highlight to focus on?
TIFF
QuickTime™ and a
QuickTime™
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(Uncompressed)
and a
decompressor
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Approval of $44 million for
new school?
are needed to see this picture.
Bad headlines

Andover residents to vote

on Bancroft school money
at Town Meeting

QuickTime™ and a
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decompressor
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are needed to see this picture.
Bad headlines

QuickTime™
QuickTime™and anda a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
TIFF (Uncompressed)
are needed to see thisdecompressor
picture.
are needed to see this picture.
Bad headlines

What would make it better?

Need to say what tradition is

QuickTime™ and a
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decompressor
Look to print subhead to get
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are needed to see this picture.
are needed to see this picture. started
Where will it take place?
When will it take place?
Bad headlines

Grateful Dead tribute band

playing in Traverse City
on October 26
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Bad headlines

QuickTime™ and a
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are needed to see this picture.
are needed to see this picture.
Bad headlines

What would make it better?

Need to say what park

Where is the park?
QuickTime™ and a
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(Uncompressed) picture.
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Bad headlines

Clinton park to commemorate

New Hope Lutheran Church

QuickTime™ and a
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Bad headlines

QuickTime™ and a
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see thisdecompressor
(Uncompressed) picture.
are needed to see this picture.
Bad headlines

What would make it better?

Need man’s name

QuickTime™ and a
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decompressor
What is he charged with?
TIFF (Uncompressed)
to see thisdecompressor
Where is this?
are needed picture.
are needed to see this picture.
Bad headlines

Joplin man David Hannenburg

faces trial on theft, assault
charges
QuickTime™ and a
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Getting started

5 takeaways

Be specific
Use first and last names
Use town names, organization names
Look for keywords, phrases
Start with print subhead
More to come

Beyond the headlines

Leads
Beginning of a sentence/headline
Photo title
Cutlines
 BETTER
HEADLINES
FOR THE WEB
GATEHOUSE NEWS & INTERACTIVE DIVISION