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If you write or edit publications, you appreciate the art of headline writing.

It isn’t easy work: You must constantly balance language, precision, wit, brevity and your layout. And after you write that perfect headline, it still may be trumped by an editor or senior manager.

The online world has transformed – and, in some respects, destroyed – good headline writing. When read online, that clever print headline often falls flat when the photo isn’t visible, the subhead is gone and the text lacks any keyword punch.

Consider the recent “Spirited Progress” headline in a local publication. The story is about a nearby winery. When read online, however, the headline feels deserted without the other print elements.

As we all attempt to climb the almighty search engine rankings, headlines on the web are becoming more straight-forward, keyword-focused …and boring. A recent New York Times story summarizes this shift, including the Huffington Post’s A/B testing tactics for headlines:

The Huffington Post sometimes tests two different headlines in real time to see which the audience is responding to. (“How to Reduce Your Oil Footprint” did better than “How to Say No to Big Oil and Reduce Your Oil Footprint.” Go figure.) The site also uses its Twitter account to solicit reader suggestions on headlines.

Your organization may not be ready for elaborate online headline testing. However, begin with small steps. If you repurpose print content for the web, weave keywords into those headlines – even if they become less interesting. See if site usage and search rankings improve. Meanwhile, keep those snappy, compelling headlines alive in your print publications.