ur-grue SEO Headline Variants Writer
What This Skill Does
Produces five headline variants for a single article, each optimised for a different reader search intent — so editors can choose the version that best matches how their target audience actually searches for this topic.
When To Use This Skill
- You have a finished article and need a headline that will perform in search results, not just on the homepage
- Your original headline is strong editorially but contains no search-friendly keywords
- You are A/B testing headlines and want structurally distinct options, not minor word swaps
- You need to target different reader intents for the same story (e.g. informational readers vs. people actively making a decision)
What You Need To Provide
Required: Article topic in one or two sentences; primary keyword or key phrase you want to rank for (e.g. "remote working productivity"). Optional: Secondary keywords; target audience (e.g. HR managers, first-time homebuyers, general readers); publication tone (neutral news, opinion, service journalism, investigative); article word count and type (explainer, investigation, interview, list, news report).
How the Assistant Approaches This
- Identifies the primary search intent behind the keyword — informational ("what is"), navigational ("find X"), commercial ("best X for Y"), or transactional ("how to do X") — and notes which the original article serves.
- Writes one headline per intent type from the list below, placing the primary keyword as close to the start as the sentence allows without sounding unnatural.
- Reviews each variant for character count (target: 55–65 characters for full display in Google search results), front-loading of the keyword, and editorial credibility — adjusting any variant that reads like clickbait at the expense of accuracy.
The five intent types this skill targets:
- Informational: reader wants to understand or learn something
- News / recency: reader is tracking a current event
- How-to / guide: reader wants step-by-step help
- Comparison / decision: reader is weighing options
- Opinion / take: reader wants analysis or a point of view
Output Format
Five numbered headline variants, each on its own line. Below each variant: intent label, character count, and a one-sentence rationale explaining the strategic choice. Total output: 15–20 lines. No bullet points inside the rationale — single sentence only. Sentence case, not title case, unless title case is standard for your publication (specify if so).
Quality Criteria
- Primary keyword appears in every variant, within the first eight words where possible
- Each variant is structurally distinct — not a synonym swap of the same sentence pattern
- All five variants are factually accurate representations of the article
- No variant exceeds 70 characters (hard limit for search display)
- None of the variants uses manufactured urgency ("You won't believe," "Shocking new") or unverifiable superlatives ("the best ever")
Example
Input
Article: An investigation into how large employers are quietly reversing remote working policies, requiring staff to return to the office full-time with little notice, and the legal questions this raises for employees who relocated during the pandemic.
Primary keyword: remote working rights Secondary keywords: return to office policy, work from home law Audience: employed adults, general readers Tone: neutral investigative journalism Article type: investigation, approximately 2,400 words
Output
Remote working rights under threat as employers reverse pandemic-era policies Intent: Informational | 71 chars (trim if needed) | Leads with the rights angle, which is the investigation's core finding; suits readers who searched for what their entitlements are.
Firms quietly scrap remote working as return-to-office orders grow Intent: News / recency | 63 chars | Foregrounds the trend as a developing news event; "quietly" signals the investigative nature without overpromising.
How to protect your remote working rights if your employer calls you back Intent: How-to / guide | 68 chars | Directly addresses the reader facing this situation; "calls you back" mirrors natural search language.
Remote working vs return to office: what employers can legally require Intent: Comparison / decision | 66 chars | Frames the tension as a question the reader is weighing; includes both secondary keywords naturally.
The quiet rollback of remote working — and why employees should be worried Intent: Opinion / take | 69 chars | Signals editorial perspective; suits opinion or analysis placement; "rollback" is a strong, specific verb.
Known Limitations
- This skill targets English-language search behaviour on Google. Search intent patterns differ significantly on Bing, regional search engines, and non-English markets — variants should be reviewed against local keyword data before use.
- Character counts are guides, not guarantees. Google's display length depends on pixel width, not character count precisely; check in a SERP preview tool before publishing.
- The skill does not pull live keyword volume or competition data. You should validate the primary keyword against your own analytics or a keyword research tool before optimising around it.
- Headlines optimised for search can underperform on social platforms where curiosity-gap and emotional triggers drive clicks. Consider using the social-media-excerpt skill in combination for platform-specific distribution.