Five Headlines That Determine Google Success – Complete Guide to Article Headlines

Yesterday, while browsing news on my phone, I stopped at a headline that seemed to say exactly what I needed. “Five strategies that will change how you look at your texts” – intrigued, I clicked almost instinctively. Only later did I realize that this title was one of several precisely designed headlines that led me to the same article from different places across the web.

We live in an era where the same text must function in multiple different ecosystems simultaneously. A headline that works great on a portal’s homepage can completely fail in Google search results. One that attracts clicks on social media might be too sensational for Google News. It’s like trying to speak five different languages at once – each platform has its own rules, expectations, and algorithms.

Contrary to popular belief, an online article doesn’t need one perfect headline – it needs five different, precisely calibrated titles that work together to maximize visibility and engagement across Google’s entire digital ecosystem. Each serves a different function, appears in a different place, and requires separate optimization. Understanding this five-dimensional puzzle can make the difference between an article that gets lost in the depths of the internet and one that reaches the first pages of search results, Google News, or personalized Google Discover feeds.

Understanding the Headline Ecosystem

If someone had asked me about article headlines 10 years ago, I probably would have shrugged and said it’s just the title at the top of the page. Today, after analyzing hundreds of pages and tracking thousands of interactions, I know it’s an incredibly complex ecosystem where each element plays its role in the digital food chain.

Google, as the largest traffic source for most publishers, has created a multi-layered system where different types of headlines are used in different contexts. Imagine this like a symphony orchestra – each instrument plays its part, has its unique sound, but only together do they create a harmonious whole. Similarly, each type of headline has its melody that speaks to a different part of Google’s algorithms and reader behaviors.

When I analyze reader behavior on the internet, I see how their attention jumps between platforms like a ping-pong ball – from search results, through Google News, to social media and back again. Each of these jumps represents a potential gateway to our content, and each of these gateways responds to a different type of key – read: a different type of headline.

What’s particularly intriguing is that the same words, arranged slightly differently, can dramatically change an article’s visibility. I’ve seen cases where changing just one headline (out of these five) increased traffic by 40% almost overnight. It’s like discovering a secret passage in a house you’ve lived in for years – suddenly entirely new possibilities open up.

Having one universal headline for an article is like trying to play an entire symphony on one instrument. Sure, the melody might be recognizable, but the richness of harmony, counterpoint, and full sound is lost. In the digital world, many notes remain unplayed, and our content invisible to potential readers. That’s why one headline is definitely not enough in today’s complex publishing score.

Editorial Title (H1)

The visible article headline – the one placed at the very top of the page in the H1 tag – is the first element that catches the reader’s eye. It’s like a book cover, the opening bars of a song, or a handshake when meeting someone new – it creates that crucial first impression.

Technically, the visible headline should always be placed in the <H1> tag. Why H1 specifically, and not just bold or styled text? Because it’s a structural HTML element that Google immediately recognizes as the main page title. It’s like underlining the most important sentence in a book – search engine algorithms pay special attention to this. Moreover, H1 should be unique on the page – multiple headlines of the same rank only create confusion.

Regarding optimal length, my experience shows that the most effective H1s fall within the range of 5-12 words. Interesting fact – articles with headlines containing only two words or fewer are often rejected by Google News, as are those exceeding 20 words. It’s a bit like telling a joke – too short doesn’t build tension, too long loses momentum before the punchline.

When optimizing the visible headline, it’s worth following several proven practices. First, it should closely correspond with the SEO title (discussed below). Second, even if editorial policy allows creativity, the main keywords must be included. I once spoke with a journalist about a title for his article about a corruption scandal in local government. His first title idea was “Dirty hands in city hall” – a classic, catchy press headline that, however, contained no specific information (for algorithms). I suggested a slightly modified version: “Dirty hands in city hall – corruption in Wysoka Góra municipality revealed,” preserving journalistic directness while adding necessary specificity and context (location and situation).

It’s also important to avoid dates and temporal references in headlines (like “last summer,” “in March”) – Google News might misinterpret them as a signal that the article is outdated. Similarly with questions – they can confuse algorithms categorizing content. I remember how my colleague from the editorial office persistently used titles like “Will new technology change how we work?” and was frustrated when his articles rarely made it to Google News – changing to a more assertive “New technology fundamentally changes modern workplaces” brought better results.

The visible H1 headline isn’t just an SEO element – it’s also a promise made to the reader. It must be precise enough for Google to understand the article’s content, but engaging enough to make the reader want to continue reading. It’s balancing between art and science, between creation and optimization. As in many aspects of life, we achieve the best results by finding the golden mean.

SEO Title (title tag)

The HTML title (<title></title>), also known as the SEO title, is one of the most important elements for optimizing an article for search engines. This is text placed in the page’s code that isn’t directly visible on the article page but plays a crucial role in search results. This is precisely the element that most often appears as the main, clickable link in Google Search results and in the “Top Stories” section, serving as the first point of contact between the reader and the article.

The meta title length is an issue that keeps many SEO specialists awake at night. Google doesn’t provide a “hard” rule, but practice shows that titles longer than 60-65 characters (or about 512 pixels wide) will be truncated in search results. Additionally, Google often changes (rewrites) these titles to be better suited to the search context. I’ve seen many perfectly thought-out titles whose essential message was lost behind ellipses because the author didn’t anticipate this limitation. The fact of truncation doesn’t mean the content isn’t considered.

The greatest art in creating meta titles is placing the most important keywords at the beginning. If we analyzed SEO titles like sentences, the subject and predicate should be at the beginning, with complements and qualifiers at the end. For example, the title “How to compose meta titles properly for articles – expert SEO guide” has less chance of success than “Meta titles for articles – how to properly compose them according to SEO experts.” In the first case, key phrases are placed in the middle; in the second – they come to the forefront.

A strategy I’ve used is two-part title optimization. The first part (before the dash or colon) is responsible for “positioning,” while the second part is responsible for click-through rate (CTR). A simple title “2024 Presidential Elections in Poland” might rank well but doesn’t encourage clicking. On the other hand, “Sensational poll results – who will win the 2024 presidential election?” might attract clicks but rank poorly. The ideal solution? “2024 Presidential Elections in Poland – sensational results from the Latest Polls.” This approach combines SEO precision with an emotional hook for the reader.

There are several more proven techniques worth applying. Use passive voice when necessary (e.g., “Jan Kowalski was arrested by police” instead of “Police arrested Jan Kowalski”) – then the name people search for is at the beginning. Prefer numbers over words (e.g., “9 ways” instead of “nine ways”) – they take up less space and better attract attention. For recurring events, place the year after the event name (e.g., “Oscars 2025,” not “2025 Oscars”).

“A good journalist can tell a story in a headline. A good internet journalist can tell it so that both human and machine understand it.”

Structured Data Title (schema)

Structured Data, or structured data in JSON-LD format, is a type of metadata for an article that tells search engines exactly what our content is. For press articles, we use the NewsArticle schema, which contains various attributes – including the “headline” attribute that interests us. Interestingly, this very element often determines what text appears in Google’s Top Stories carousel.

Technically speaking, Schema Headline is located in the JSON-LD block in the page’s HTML code, usually in the <head> section. Its implementation looks something like this:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "NewsArticle",
  "headline": "Here we place our headline",
  ...
}
</script>Code language: HTML, XML (xml)

While this might seem complicated for non-technical people, most modern CMS systems offer the ability to set this parameter without needing to edit code.

To see how all these elements work together, let’s look at a complete example of a page’s <head> section. Notice how the SEO Title (<title>), the Open Graph Title (og:title), and the Structured Data headline all coexist, each serving its unique purpose.

<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  
  <title>2025 Presidential Elections - Surprising Results from the Latest Polls</title>
  
  <meta property="og:title" content="A Shocking New Poll Reveals Who Could Win the 2025 Election" />
  <meta property="og:type" content="article" />
  <meta property="og:image" content="https://yoursite.com/election-image.jpg" />
  <meta property="og:url" content="https://yoursite.com/election-article" />
  
  <script type="application/ld+json">
  {
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "NewsArticle",
    "headline": "2025 Presidential Elections: Surprising Results from the Latest Polls",
    "datePublished": "2025-08-12T12:00:00Z",
    "image": [
      "https://yoursite.com/election-image.jpg"
     ]
  }
  </script>
</head>Code language: HTML, XML (xml)

As you can see, the <head> section acts as a control center for your article’s metadata, allowing you to send precise, optimized signals to different platforms simultaneously. While the headline attribute in JSON-LD isn’t required by Google, it’s definitely recommended. It’s like optional car equipment that theoretically isn’t essential for driving but significantly improves comfort and safety. In the world of increasingly competitive online journalism, such “optional” elements often make the difference between success and failure.

Interestingly, Google often uses precisely this headline as the visible title in the “Top Stories” section, even if it differs from the visible H1 or SEO title. This creates an additional optimization opportunity – we can have a slightly different headline directed specifically at Google News and Top Stories.

From my experience, the best practice is using the same text as in the meta title (SEO Title). This ensures consistency between different page elements and reduces the risk of Google choosing the “wrong” headline. At the same time, if we know our article has particular chances of appearing in Top Stories, we can slightly modify the Schema Headline to work better in that specific context.

Although the headline attribute in JSON-LD structure isn’t required by Google, it’s definitely recommended. It’s like optional car equipment that theoretically isn’t essential for driving but significantly improves comfort and safety. In the world of increasingly competitive online journalism, such “optional” elements often make the difference between success and failure.

Validating Structured Data (JSON-LD):

• Tool: Google Rich Results Test
• Link: https://search.google.com/test/rich-results
• How to use: Paste the article’s URL or the JSON-LD code snippet directly to check if Google interprets it correctly and if it qualifies for rich results (e.g., the “Top Stories” carousel).

Promotional Title (SG/blocks)

The promotional title, also called the SG title, is text used in links leading to an article from other places in the site – from the homepage, category pages, or thematic sections. Unlike previously discussed headline types, this is intended exclusively for internal use within the site, but it also affects article readership results.

In CMS systems, this should be a separate field that allows entering an alternative title used only for promoting the article in other places on the given site. Its main goal is generating clicks, so it should be highly optimized for click-through rate (CTR). Interestingly, although it doesn’t appear directly in Google, it’s considered by search engines as anchor text for internal links, which affects the page’s overall SEO.

When optimizing promotional titles, it’s worth following several proven rules. First, it should be engaging and attention-grabbing – it can be more emotional or even controversial than a standard title. Second, it should contain the main keyword because it serves as the linking anchor within the site. Third, it should be concise – it often displays in limited space and may be truncated.

For example, a journalist writing a comprehensive article about new tax regulations titled it standardly “Changes in income tax from 2024 – comprehensive guide for entrepreneurs and individuals.” This was a good SEO title but too long and dry as a promotional title. For internal promotional purposes, we created an alternative version: “New taxes 2024 – check how much you’ll lose.” This short, emotional headline attracted significantly more clicks from the homepage than the original title.

Interestingly, internal links with good titles have an enormous impact on user engagement. Data analysis from one portal I worked with showed that articles with well-optimized promotional headlines had an average 35% higher click-through rate from other site pages than those using the same title as H1 by default.

To maximize the effectiveness of these title types, it’s worth systematically testing and optimizing them. Some editorial offices conduct regular A/B tests of different versions to check which attract the most clicks. This approach, known from advertising, works perfectly for internal content promotion as well.

Open Graph Title (og:title)

The Open Graph Title, placed in meta tags in the page’s <head> section as ‘og:title’, is a special type of headline originally designed for Facebook but now used by most social media platforms and – particularly importantly – by Google Discover. This headline controls how your article will be presented when someone shares it on social media or when it appears in Google Discover’s personalized feed.

In the page code, it looks like this:

<meta property="og:title" content="Here we insert our Open Graph title" />
Code language: HTML, XML (xml)

What makes this headline type unique is that it operates in an environment more like social media than traditional search engines. Google Discover, like Facebook or X (Twitter), is a content discovery channel, not a search channel. Users don’t type queries – they browse feeds and react to content that seems interesting at first glance.

That’s why strategies that work great on social media often bring good results in Google Discover as well. Open Graph Title can be more emotional, intriguing, or even somewhat clickbaity (though use with caution and avoid excess). It can use elements that don’t necessarily work in traditional SEO, such as superlatives or provocative questions.

An example I always cite is an article about a new diabetes treatment method. Its standard SEO title read “New type 2 diabetes treatment method shows 67% effectiveness in clinical trials.” Solid, informative, but not very exciting. As the Open Graph Title, we used: “7 shocking facts about the breakthrough method that could defeat diabetes.” Result? The same article in Google Discover generated almost three times more clicks than comparable articles without an optimized og:title.

When optimizing Open Graph Title, it’s worth using techniques that work on social media:

• Use elements of surprise or curiosity
• Use emotionally charged words
• Ask provocative questions
• Reference current trends
• Build a sense of urgency or uniqueness

Interestingly, Google officially admits in its documentation that it uses Open Graph meta tags. In Google News guidelines, og:image tags are mentioned as a way to provide images to Google News – practice shows that og:title is used in Google Discover, despite no mention of this in the documentation.

It’s worth remembering that although Open Graph Title allows greater creative freedom, it should still be related to the article’s actual content. Google Discover clearly states in its guidelines that it doesn’t tolerate clickbait that doesn’t fulfill the promise made in the headline. An article can be removed from Discover if its title is overly sensational or misleading, and when a publisher notoriously breaks these guidelines, they’re permanently removed from Discover (several publishers in Poland have experienced this).

Validating Open Graph Elements:

• Tool: Facebook Sharing Debugger
• Link: https://developers.facebook.com/tools/debug/
• How to use: Paste the article’s URL, and the tool will show you exactly how Facebook “sees” your page—what og:title, og:description, and og:image it fetches. This is the industry standard used by most social platforms and Google Discover.

Five-Title Strategy in Practice

Effective implementation of the five-headline system requires thoughtful strategy and appropriate tools. First and foremost, the content management system (CMS) plays a key role. An ideal CMS should offer separate fields for each headline type, with clear labels and hints about optimal length and purpose. Some advanced systems even offer live preview, showing how a given title will look in a specific context – e.g., in search results or on a social media sharing card.

Besides an appropriate CMS, it’s worth developing a clear headline creation process. In one editorial office I worked with, they used a two-stage approach (which I consider ineffective). First, the article author prepared initial versions of all five headlines. Then a dedicated “title optimizer” (often someone with experience in both SEO and copywriting) reviewed them, adjusted them, and finalized them. This approach combined the author’s subject expertise with the technical skills of a headline specialist.

Another effective solution is creating templates for different article types. For example, for news related to company financial results, you can apply an SEO title template: “[Company name] announces [increase/decrease] in profits by [X]% in [period].” This not only speeds up work but also ensures consistency and optimal headline structure.

Regular testing and optimization is another key element of strategy. Many publishers conduct systematic A/B tests of different headline versions, especially for promotional titles and Open Graph Titles. By analyzing data on click-through rate (CTR), time spent on page, and bounce rate, valuable conclusions can be drawn about what works best for a specific audience.

Collaboration between departments is an element that cannot be overlooked. In an ideal world, editorial, SEO, and social media teams should regularly communicate and share insights. At one media company, we organized weekly workshops where we analyzed the best and worst performing titles from the past week, discussed search trends and user behaviors, and updated our guidelines.

Automation can also play an important role. Some advanced systems use AI algorithms to suggest optimal headlines based on article content and historical effectiveness data.

Finally, documentation and training are essential. Developing clear guidelines for each headline type, with examples of good and bad practices, significantly facilitates work for editors, especially new ones. Regular training, updated with the latest trends and changes in Google’s algorithms, helps the team stay current.

A well-designed headline creation process doesn’t have to be burdensome – it can become an effective, even satisfying part of the publishing cycle. As in many aspects of life, the key is balance between structure and flexibility, between standardization and creativity.

Final Conclusions

Summarizing our journey through the world of headlines, it’s worth emphasizing once more the key elements of each:

Visible H1 headline is a promise made to the reader – it must be readable, engaging, and consistent with the article content, while containing keywords for Google’s algorithms

HTML Meta Title (SEO title) is the most important element for traditional search results – short, precise, with the most important keywords at the beginning, it serves as the main link that Google users click

Structured Data Headline in JSON-LD format has particular significance for Google Top Stories – though technically optional, it’s often used by Google in the news carousel and can significantly impact article visibility

Promo Headline used in internal links optimizes traffic within the site – short, attention-grabbing, it serves as a bridge between different parts of the website and helps with internal SEO

Open Graph Title is the specialist for social media and Google Discover – more emotional, sometimes controversial, it uses attention-grabbing mechanisms known from social media.

These five headlines create a complete ecosystem that maximizes visibility and engagement. Each serves its role, each speaks to a slightly different group of recipients or algorithms, and each uses slightly different rules. Together they constitute a powerful tool in the modern publisher’s arsenal.

Effective management of these headlines provides an enormous competitive advantage. In a world where every pixel of screen and every second of user attention is worth its weight in gold, these small text fragments can tip the scales of success in your favor. And while it might seem overwhelming at first, with the right system, process, and understanding, it becomes a natural part of the publishing cycle.

I encourage all publishers, editors, and content authors to conduct an audit of their current headlines – check if you’re utilizing the full potential of all five types. Compare them with the competition, test different variants, and analyze effectiveness data. Remember that in a world where competition is just one click away, these five headlines often make the difference between an article that gains deserved popularity and one that remains in the shadows, regardless of the content quality itself.

Ultimately, the art of creating perfect headlines is a balance between science and creativity, between analytics and intuition. As my mentor used to say: “A good headline is one that makes machines find you and people read you.” And while Google constantly changes its algorithms and reader preferences evolve, this fundamental principle remains unchanged.

PS. For several years, I’ve been conducting training sessions dedicated to media editorial offices, where I discuss in detail the topic of optimal titles. During these workshops, journalists, and editors have the opportunity not only to learn the theory but also to practice creating all five types of headlines for different kinds of articles – from news, through interviews, to analytical texts. Particularly valuable is the moment when participants analyze their previous publications and notice unused optimization opportunities. I’ve repeatedly heard from participants that this part of the training changed their daily editorial work more than any other aspects of SEO. If I’ve interested you, I invite you to contact me and organize such training for your editorial office.