Don’t get your head cut off

Make web headlines fit on mobile apps and more

Not everyone wants to play, “What’s the last word in the headline?” says Andy Bechtel, associate professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Don’t mess with my head Write online headlines that don’t get cut off by Google, social media channels, mobile apps or your reader’s attention. Photo by Scott webb

So write web heads that don’t get truncated by Google, social media channels, mobile apps — or your reader’s attention.

How short? Make sure your web heads are short enough to:

1. Get seen on Google.

Google’s search results display only the first 63 characters of your headline. To avoid getting your head cut off on Google, keep headlines to …

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Catch readers in your web: Online headlines must get found, clicked and more ‘Short is too long’: 4 ways to optimize long stories for phone reading

Lift Ideas Off the Screen

Draw visitors in, increase open rates with microcontent

Jakob Neilsen once wrote an article called “How Users Read on the Web.” The first paragraph: “They don’t.” Instead, he says, they skim.

Above it all To reach readers online, make your key messages clear via microcontent. Image by Mihai Surdu

Indeed, in one analysis of page views by computer scientists, engineers and other highly educated professionals, Nielsen found that web visitors read only about 20% of the words on the average webpage.

The rest they skim, getting information from the microcontent — web heads, subject lines and links, for instance.

So why not put your messages where your readers really are: in the microcontent?

At Get Clicked, Read, Shared & Liked — our two-day online-writing master class on July 27-28 in Portland — you’ll learn how to use your microcontent to draw readers into your online message; make your emails, blog posts and webpages more inviting; and get the word out to nonreaders.

Specifically, you’ll learn how to:

• Take advantage of the No. 1 element people read on a webpage. (Most communicators drop it altogether.)
• Make your message 124% more usable in three simple steps.
• Optimize web heads for humans as well as for Google. Increase your chances of getting found and read.
• Write subject lines that get your emails opened. Plus: How long to make subject lines for mobile users.
• Pass the Goldilocks test. Learn to write links that aren’t too short or too long but just right.

Save $100 when you register by April 27.

Polish your skills at these Master Classes

Learn to Master the Art of the Storyteller, Catch Your Readers, Get Clicked, Cut Through the Clutter and more

Rather bring Ann in to train your whole team? Invite Ann