- 4. As discussed in class, why do you feel Headlines are so important in web content? Please provide me with another headline you clicked on recently (submit the exact headline including a screenshot) and outline in detail why you clicked it. In question #2, I asked why it resonated with you. For this question, I am asking why you actually clicked on it. This cannot be the same headline as question #2 (8 Marks)
Why are headlines so important?
Headlines are heavily important when writing content because as we mentioned in class, they are the first impression users get from our article, and they matter quite a lot, as they can make the difference from a user feeling intrigued by it and clicking on it or having them scroll past it and not even bat an eye. The job of a headline is to attract attention to it and the article, it’s basically like fishing. This example discussed in class sums up perfectly why they are so important and different at the same time. A headline is like the hook of a fishing rod. You need it with bait to capture the fish, but not all the fish like the same bait, so it is necessary to use the correct and most efficient one to attract the fish you want. This is how headlines work, they are what bait your audience into clicking on your content as it is the first thing they will see from it and what generally represents your content, and how you word it and format it will depend on your target audience, as the language and words chosen for a younger audience will not be the same as the ones chosen for an older demographic. Additionally, they are important for search engines, as headlines are usually in <h1> which means that Google will use it as a summarization of what your content is about, if users’ search queries match your headline you will direct organic traffic to your site.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/chuphanginichandrakanthan/things-millennials-had-the-nerve-to-actually-buy
I clicked on this website as soon as I saw it because it caught my attention, and it made an impression on me instantly. It promises the user or reader the most interesting thing they have in their content, which is different things millennials are spending their money on instead of saving them on a house. Personally, this headline stood out to me as I belong to the generational group of Gen Z, and we have certain stereotypes for Millennials which is why seeing a headline mentioning a related subject made me instantly interested. Additionally, the usage of numbers in the headline made me instantly interested in it because as we learned in class, some of the best headlines include numbers. Numbers subconsciously tell and show the reader the subject being discussed in the article is factual because numbers express certainty and they are like “brain candy” for us, they make the information more digestible. Moreover, this headline is unique, ultra-specific, and provides something useful. It makes it clear to the user that the content they will find within the article will be about the subject discussed in the headline.