Those familiar with my writing know I think headlines are a big deal, a silver bullet. One way to dip your fingers into the waters of this field is by separating your article headline, which is what you write for people, from your page headline, which is what you show to Google. In other words, write two headlines. Here are a couple of recent examples from prominent publications:
BUSINESS INSIDER
Article Headline
Nest—the Company Google Just Bought for $3.2 Billion—Has Stopped Selling Its Smart Smoke Detectors Because of a Safety Issue
Page Headline
Nest Smoke Detector Safety Warning
CNBC
Article Headline
You Can’t Escape BuzzFeed’s Lists
Page Headline
How BuzzFeed Uses Social Data
Addendum (5/3/2014):
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Article Headline
Lumbering Into E-Commerce
Page Headline
Home Depot Lumbers Into E-Commerce
