Using Subheadings to Guide Readers

What subheadings do

A subheading is a short label that introduces a section of a page. It does three jobs at once. It breaks a long page into pieces so the reader is not facing a wall of text. It tells the reader what each piece contains so they can decide whether to read it. And, taken together, the subheadings form an outline of the whole piece.

That last role is the most underused. If you read only the headings on a well-built page, you should be able to reconstruct its argument or its sequence of steps. If you cannot, either the headings are too vague or the page lacks structure.

Descriptive beats clever

The strongest subheadings are descriptive: they say what the section is about, using the words a reader would use. Compare these pairs:

• “Getting started” versus “What you need before you begin”
• “The problem” versus “Why bread dough fails to rise”
• “More thoughts” versus “How to adjust the recipe for cold kitchens”
• “Final remarks” versus “When to ask for help”

In each case the second version carries information. A reader scanning the page can see what they will get. This is one of the clearest wins in web writing, and it costs only a few extra words.

Clever or playful headings have a place in some contexts, such as essays or narrative features, where readers expect style. Even there, clarity usually serves better than a pun that needs the following paragraph to explain it. On reference or how-to pages, always prefer plain, informative labels.

Make the headings tell the story

One useful exercise is to write the headings first, before the paragraphs. Put them in order and read them as a list. Ask whether each one follows from the last and whether any important step is missing. This is a form of structural editing at a small scale: fix the shape of the piece before you worry about sentences.

After drafting, run the same test in reverse. Copy out the headings and read only those. A good set often reads like a table of contents with a point of view, for example:

• Why readers scan before they read
• Put the main point first
• Break long sections into short ones
• Check the page on a phone

A reader who sees that list already knows the main moves of the article.

How many headings are enough

There is no fixed number. A sensible approach is to add a heading when the topic shifts and the reader might want to jump to the new topic. For many web articles of 800 to 1,200 words, that works out to several headings, often one every 150 to 250 words, though this is only a rough guide.

Too few headings leave long stretches without orientation. Too many make a page feel fragmented, and sections with one or two sentences under each heading can look like a list of notes. If a heading introduces only a sentence, consider merging it with its neighbor.

Subheadings within subheadings should be used sparingly. A page that needs three levels of nested headings may be trying to do too much, and may be better as separate pages.

Keep a consistent, logical hierarchy

Headings come in levels. A page title is the top level; main sections sit beneath it; subsections beneath those. Keep the order logical, and do not skip levels simply to get a certain look. The visual size of a heading is a styling decision that should be handled separately from its level in the structure.

This matters for more than neatness. People who use screen readers often navigate by listing or jumping between headings, and software that builds outlines or tables of contents depends on the levels being correct. A clean heading structure is both good writing and good content accessibility. Using bold text in place of a real heading may look the same on screen, but it removes the label from the structure that assistive tools rely on.

Wording tips

• Start with the key word. “Refund deadlines” scans better than “Understanding how long you have for refunds.”
• Be specific. “Three common causes of slow pages” is more helpful than “Causes.”
• Use parallel forms. If one heading is a question and the next is a verb phrase and the next is a noun, the page feels uneven. Consistent patterns make scanning easier.
• Match the content. A heading is a promise. If the section under “Costs” is mostly about benefits, rename one or the other.
• Avoid vague catch-alls. “Other considerations” and “Miscellaneous” usually hide content that belongs elsewhere or can be cut.
• Keep them short. A heading that wraps over several lines on a phone stops working as a label.

Questions can work well as headings when readers are likely to ask them, since they mirror the reader’s thinking. Use them only when the section answers the question directly and promptly.

A quick test for your own page

1. Read only the headings. Can you tell what the page argues or teaches?
2. Pick a heading at random. Does the section beneath it deliver what the heading says?
3. Look for any stretch of text longer than a few paragraphs without a heading. Is there a natural break?
4. Look for any heading with almost nothing under it. Should it be merged?
5. Ask someone to find a particular piece of information. Do the headings lead them there quickly?

Headings are among the cheapest and most effective tools a web writer has. Treat them as the signposts of your page: clear, honest and placed where the reader needs them.