Use fonts that are readable. Verdana was designed for computer monitors (as I understand it) and is very readable. Some others are less so.

High contrast. I use white on black, which is ok, but black test on white background is easier on the eyes. Blue on black is hard and some other combinations are awful.

Your note about the use of tabloids for headlines is great. Headlines get the eyeballs into the story. Problogger.com did some recent stuff on that. Head on over and enter “titles” in the search box. You’ll find the post.