Headlines grab the attention of readers. They should be punchy and brief, and contain a few essential details. Headlines are the first impression a reader will have of an article, and they are one of the most important factors in getting clicks from search engines. The headline is also part of the post’s url (Uniform Resource Locator) so it is important to keep in mind that search engines pay special attention to the words used in headlines. The more enticing your headline is, the more “Google Juice” it will get.
A good headline is also a form of teaser, enticing people to read more by giving them a sense of what the article will be about. It is usually a short phrase, or a few words, in bold type. The words are usually capitalized, and should be proper nouns, shortened forms of verbs, or short adjectives and adverbs. Headlines should be written in present tense, not past tense. They should also avoid the use of helping words like articles (a, an, or), coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or) and prepositions (in, at).
The network was originally known as CNN2 until 1995, when it was renamed “Headline News.” It primarily broadcast a looping cycle of headline news segments, with some live news coverage, but began to diverge from its original format in 2005, when it introduced a primetime block of personality-based programming. In the mid-2010s, HLN moved away from its original news format and focused on true crime and celebrity content.