Using Subheadings (Keep the Skimmers Skimming!)
So, today we are going to talk about subheadings and why writing a fantastic title is only half the battle to attract readers and keep them on your page!
Having clicked on your post in the search engine results, most people will not read it from start to finish.
They will quickly skim through it to see what grabs their attention and whether it will answer their question or solve their problem.
Subheadings are key; they are mini headlines that further explain what your content is about.
Not only do they help your readers, but Google also uses them to understand your post.
What are H1, H2, and H3?
Only your main headline should be H1, and your subheadings should be H2 and H3.
Your H2 subheading is the most important, and it should discuss the main topic.
Your H3 subheadings add supporting details.
The goal of your subheading is to make people stop, and it should capture their attention and make them want to read further.
Break Up Your Text
Subheadings also break up your text and make it more readable.
They create bite-sized chunks, making your post easier to digest!
Imagine your reader's excitement when they click on your post when you have promised them a solution!
But then they are met with a long, impossible-to-read block of text.
They are not going to stick around, and this is especially true for mobile visitors.
You need to show them they are in the right place and that they made the right decision by clicking on your post.
They want to get the answer in the shortest possible time.
Think of your subheadings as signposts that pull your reader down the page, enticing them to read more.
Subheadings Help You Write!
Having a clear idea of your subheadings also helps you as the writer to structure your post quicker.
Once you have your subheadings in place, it's easier to fill out the content for each section.
You will have a natural progression from your introduction to your conclusion.
Good subheadings signal that your post is worth reading.
In my next post, I will discuss how to write an appropriate subheading.
Thanks for reading!
Recent Comments
32
DianeScorpio,
Thanks once again for this post. However, there is something I wanted to hear as I was reading through.
In our previous interaction, I had asked that I had a challenge of two attractive key words solving one problem.
I asked you whether I could write two articles for it. Your advised that I must write one article using one key word but the other key word should be used as a subheading.
Keeping in mind that I want to take advantage of the volume traffic for both key words, how can this be achieved when I put this key word in the subheading?
Hi - well, I didn't say you "must" write only one article, but it's what I would recommend.
If you use two similar keywords that essentially mean the same thing in two different articles, Google will only rank one of the articles.
But if you include the second keyword as a subheading, Google could rank that post for either of the keywords, giving you twice as much opportunity to get on page 1.
Hi Diane,
I totally agree with your post on the importance of headings and sub-headings.
Isn't it a dichotomy that the layout of an effective blog post is so different from an eBook? Or almost any book?
Books have longer paragraphs and very few headings.
Why is that? This has always intrigued me.
Cheers.
Edwin
Hi Diane, thanks for this information. I’ve been writing my posts in site content but the title size can’t be changed. I’ve been using h3 for my subheadings. And my paragraphs are a maximum of 4 lines.
Once published to WordPress should I change the size of the title and subheadings?
Hi - whether you use SiteContent or WordPress, it should automatically set your title as H1.
It's up to you if you want to add an H2 or not. It should be used for emphasis when a specific paragraph contains more important content than the others.
Ah, I see! I could put the intro in H2, which contains the keyword that I've used in the title. And keep the sub headings as H3. Would that be helpful?
Yes, but you wouldn't start a post with a subheading. You would need to write a couple of lines or more first before introducing a subheading.
So what I've been doing is adding aa header image on each post, then a few lines (2- 3) of text underneath, containing the keyword that's in the title. I've been making this text H3. What's the best way to format my posts?
H3 is for a subheading, not text. Using it as text will make it too big and bold and confuse Google, who will be expecting it to be a heading.
So, use normal text for your intro paragraph. Next, if you have an important point to make that re-iterates what your post is about, then use your keyword as an H2 heading.
If, however, your intro covers everything, and in your food website, for example, the next sections are recipes, then you don't have to use H2 at all. Just H3 each time you add something new.
This is another one of those golden nuggets that newbies like myself are / were absolutely egregiously ignorant of.
I can only speak for myself, but I think there are lot of us that are so fixated on producing content based on the Site Content Template, (heading dictated by key phrases, so many paragraphs, so many words, and a conclusion), that we miss the most obvious!
I am in the process of re-modelling all of my previous posts, for exactly this issue of not using more subheadings earlier on.
Having had my posts assessed with a simple free online SEO tool, subheadings (or rather the lack thereof), were highlighted as one of the areas where I could drastically improve my SEO rating.
OK, so by now I know that SEO tools are not all created equal, and that a good SEO score in itself does not guarantee SERP results.
But in my experience, such a small adjustment like adding a few more Subheadings and an Index to a post, can drastically improve your overall SEO score.
It is almost too embarrassing to admit, but if like me, you witnessed an overall SEO score going from 20% to 97% without having to rework your content bar the subheadings, no-one and nobody will convince you to the contrary.
Very few people I know can quote Maya Angelou correctly, but this is what she had to say upon referring to herself:
"I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better."
But like most others, I prefer the short version:
"When you know better, you do better."
Thank you Diane for pointing us in the right direction, as always!
Johan
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Thank you so much, Diane
You always have such juicy tidbits, that are so, valuable and pertinent to what I am trying to accomplish here at WA! Often times it is just what I need in the moment, and you explain it with such ease and simplicity like the H1, H2, and H3, what, how, and when to use it! You are awesome!
Thanks again :)