Writing for the internet is far different than writing for books or magazines. On the internet you only have a few seconds to get the attention of readers. In addition, your information needs to be understood by search engines robots. Since your title is the first thing people see, it's the most important part of your article.
There are zillions of articles on the internet. If you write an article on your website or submit it to an article directory, how will anyone find it? You can pay for advertising, or you can let search engines rank your article in order of importance.
If there are 250 million articles on the internet related to your topic, the challenge is to get your articles listed on the first page when people search for your information. This is not a small task, but it can be done when you understand how to write for the internet.
How To Write Good Titles For Your Articles.
When you're writing a title, make sure there isn't a better, more clear way to say the same thing in fewer words. When possible, put keywords and keyword phrases in your title. People search the internet by typing keywords in a search box. If those keywords happen to be in your title, you're more likely to appear on page one of a search than on page 500. Not only that but users are more likely to click your article if your title is almost exactly what they searched for.
The next secret is to always ask the question, 'What's in it for my readers?' Whenever you write for the internet, think in terms of benefits to the people who will be reading your information. Ask yourself, 'why should someone read your article'? They're looking to solve a problem or answer a question. How will your article satisfy their needs? This benefit needs to be clearly stated in the title of your articles.
e.g. the title of this article could have been, 'how to write titles and headlines'. While that's correct, who would be searching the internet for that information? People are only interested in writing headlines and titles when there is a benefit to them. What's that benefit? Why should they write better titles? Increased traffic to their website! There are a lot of people looking for ways to increase traffic to their website. Hardly anyone will be searching the internet for information on how to write the titles and headlines.
The only way people are going to find my article is to state a benefit to them in my title. That's why the title of this article includes the main benefit of learning how to write better headlines. i.e. increased traffic to their web site. That's what people are really looking for.
Avoid Words With More Than One Meaning.
Search engine robots have no sense of humor and they get confused when you use words that can be taken in different ways. For example, the title of this article could have been 'dynamite ways to write exciting titles'. The only problem is that a robot might assume that this article is about explosives instead of article writing.
Long Titles Are Ok As Long As Every Word Does Something.
There is nothing wrong with a long title. In fact sometimes long titles are better. By long I don't mean 'long winded'. There must be a reason for using every single word, and there shouldn't be a shorter way to say exactly the same thing.
Write Your Article First. Then Write The Title.
Often we write articles on a topic without knowing what the final product will look like. That's why some authors write the article first, then write a title that accurately represents what the article is about.
The Purpose Of Your Article's Title.

States what your article is about
Allows search engines to index your article correctly
Gives readers an irresistible reason to read your article

Learning How To Write Titles.
Observe the way you use the internet and which articles you click when you're looking for information. Go to an article directory and pick any topic. Scan all the titles and observe which titles catch your attention. What makes some articles more attractive than others even before you read them? The more you do this, the better you'll get at recognizing what a good title looks like.
Since Titles Are So Important, Write Several!
Write several title using keywords and phrases that will attract interest in your article. Then quickly scan all your titles. Which title creates the most interest in your article and is the easiest to understand?
How To Increase Your Page Rank With A New Title.
If you have pages that are ranked high and getting a lot of hits, the last thing you want to do is change the title. But if you have pages with excellent information and no traffic, one of the best ways to generate more traffic is to change the title. I've taken articles with no traffic whatsoever and made them very popular just by changing the title.
Subtitles Are Very Important On The Internet.
Internet users have very little patience. When they do a keyword search, they usually see hundreds of articles and they are overwhelmed with information. If they don't find exactly what they're looking for right away, you've lost them. That's why subtitles, bulleted lists, short paragraphs and getting right to the point without any fluff is so important.
Keep your paragraphs short. Every 1 - 3 paragraphs see if you can throw in a subtitle that encourages readers to read more. Instead of paragraphs, see if you can arrange some information in the form of a list with bullets beside them.
Pretend You're Reading Your Article For The First Time.
After you write your article, read it out loud. Pretend someone else wrote the article and you're interested in learning more about the subject. Rewrite awkward titles and sentences. See if there are ways say the same thing more clearly and with fewer words.
Examine the title and subtitles from the perspective of a reader looking at your information for the first time. Are your titles irresistible? Do they create a strong desire to read more? Do they contain benefits to the reader? Does the title promise to solve a problem readers might have? Does the title promise to answer a common question people have? Does the title contain popular keywords or a keyword phrase? By answering these questions from the viewpoint of readers and search engines, you'll drive more traffic to your articles.