Witty headlines: Black and white and dead all over (because of SEO)
Puns are fun, as is a rhyme at the proper time—but due to search engine optimization, said time might no longer come (say some).
My headline: “In Cod They Trust.”
That was about six years ago, but today it wouldn’t fly—not on the Web, anyway.
The problem is that it’s just not SEO-friendly. A much better headline would include the keywords Omega-3, fish oil, benefits, supplement. It doesn’t leave much room for puns or plays on words.
The Atlantic has weighed in on this notion with its recent article “Google Doesn’t Laugh: Saving Witty Headlines in the Age of SEO.”
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