Hmmm, how can I test my headline?
The Nieman Journalism Lab’s Joshua Benton points to this headline-testing tool for the WordPress platform (BTW, this blog is powered by WordPress):
My desire for more experimental data is one reason why I’m very happy to point you to a new resource for sites built on WordPress (like this one): a new Headline Split Tester plugin, built by Brent Halliburton and Peter Bessman, two Baltimore developers.
Not sure if you want a straight, newsy headline or something with a little more pizzazz? Something keyword-dense and SEO friendly or something more feature-y? This plugin lets you write two headlines for each post and have them presented at random to readers. The plugin records how often each version of the headline has been clicked and, once it has enough data, swaps full-time to the most effective one.
If you’re in the kind of operation that has regular debates over headline strategy, here’s a great way to test it. (Although note that this is measuring clicks on articles within your site — it doesn’t tell you anything about the SEO effectiveness of a headline. You’d have to wait for Google data for that.)