Gripping Subheads: Why Subheadings in Articles Are Important? 😎

A subheading in an article is a mini-heading that can be founded under the main headline. It provides further insight and supports effectively. It is designed to keep the reader’s attention by discussing the proposed benefits that a person can benefit from reading it. A good subheading creates curiosity and shows personality. They need to be useful in this regard and unique in their application to serve the purpose in a meaningful way.

what is the subheading of an article

A key feature of subheadings is their engaging nature and short. They should be used consistent manner to keep the content readable and scannable.

The best practice is to keep the length of subheadings to 70 characters or less within the content. Subheadings that come right under the main heading should be 10 to 30 words. 

Reasons for using subheadings in articles

Headlines are used to hook readers so that they want to know. Subheadings serve the next part by guiding readers to engage or scan the information meaningfully.

What is the purpose of subheadings in an article?

Subheadings in feature articles provide a wide range of benefits from an effective writing perspective, such as enhancing search engine rankings. In most cases, it contains the keywords that directly affect the SEO. It is crucial to have one or two keywords in the subheadings.

Following are the features associated with the subheadings in a structured manner. 

Subheadings contribute to a good user experience. It helps the reader to stay oriented within the content and quickly find the information in a meaningful way.

The often-overlooked subhead is a stealthy and lethal ninja writing weapon just sitting there quietly waiting to be put to good use.

— Gary Korisko, author and expert blogger

It makes the content accessible such as informative subheadings persuade the listeners to explore the content further and locate more relevant sections more easily.

The ultimate theme of good writing content is to grab the reader’s attention. It provides the reader extra nudge.

Tips to Write Effective Subheadings 

A good strategy to develop effective subheadings in the content is to focus on the organization. It is important to choose the right words because this careful selection plays a vital role in making an impression. The following are the major elements that make the subheading irresistible. 

  • The first major tip is linked with choosing the right length of the subheading. General research describes this phenomenon in that reading a good subheading takes a few seconds. A recommended word limit in this regard is between 10 to 30 words. A general rule of thumb is that double the headline is a good length.
  • Then comes the aim for the right amount of information. The user/reader should be told just enough because the explanation of everything is not needed because a good subheading leaves the curiosity in the mind of the reader so that they can click on the CTA below. 
  • It is essential to include the right amount of persuasion in the process. Because using the subheadings for their intended purpose brings the desired results. Persuasive stops should be adopted in this regard. Helpful subheadings create the magic of engaging the reader compellingly. 

Let us dig deeper into each point to write awesome subheadings if you need them for your product or are willing to update your featured articles.

Focus on the organization 

The key to writing effective content is its organization. It should be logical in its structure so that reader can understand it effectively.

use of subheadings in articles

The organization helps the reader go through the content logically, which has a relevant positive impact as well. Therefore organization should make sense of the content to the reader. Big takeaways need to be summarized in the organization throughout the content. 

Separate the content 

There is a direct relationship between the heading and sub-heading in the content. So these two must make the specific link with each other throughout the range meaningfully. The ultimate objective is to influence the reader to go through the content seamlessly. 

Achieve clarity 

Most readers are only concerned with their required information, so they go through subheadings by skimming them to find their desired content. When the subheadings do not provide the relevant information to the reader, they leave the page that is never demanding in the first place.

A good strategy in this regard is to distinguish the heading from subheadings through the size of the content, color, font, effects, or a combination of these aspects. It depends upon the specific style guides that are different for each one.

So clarity is one important aspect that provides a more structured approach to the reader in a meaningful way. 

Shorter – Better

Time is a very limited resource on the part of readers. That’s why winded subheadings are not needed by them at all. Readers are inspired by such content that is to the point and straight in its nature.

Longer subheadings do serve the purpose most often but only when the writer squeezes the longtail keyword. It is important to avoid the mix of short and long headings because it can potentially distract the reader leading to failure in achieving the goals. 

Use graphics

Graphics and infographics are also important aspects of writing subheadings because it is something that the user will look at in the first place before scrolling.

Such graphics that are not aligned with the text color and style make it difficult for the reader to engage with the subheadings. 

It is important never to underestimate the power of good subheadings. Such as in the context of SEO, companies who want to sell big and achieve their goals.

A good writer always puts themselves in the reader’s shoes while crafting subheadings to understand the situation from a more realistic aspect.

Teams should prioritize the wireframing of their website with headings and subheadings to get the benefit required. Short and to-the-point subheadings are helpful to achieve creativity when done in the right way. 

Examples of subheadings that WORK

An excellent example of a subheading can be found for the company “Bellroy.”

Its heading is a three word that naturally pushes the reader to search for an explanation. Then the subheading provides information regarding its product and why the customer should consider buying it.

bellroy subheading

So this combination generates the much effective results in the long run in creating a positive brand image and attracting customers in a structured manner. 

Another example of a subheading is the one used by Fitbit. It is a popular brand that produces wearable fitness devices.

fitbit subheading

Their subheading explains the image in brief terms so that users can get relevant information about what they see in the product selection. 

Mistakes People Make When Writing Subheadings

The process of writing subheadings can become challenging for the writer if they get into some common mistakes. Therefore, it is important to highlight the grey areas in writing effective subheadings. 

Lack of planning

The first aspect is linked with not thinking enough about how to describe the paragraph.

ministry of planning subheads

One example in this regard is a section of the article that discussed the topic of mobile application security testing, but its subheading is given as “security requirement,” so it does not add up to the content of this section. Therefore, it will be harder for them to engage easily to understand when they can gain from reading this section.

How to avoid this mistake?

There are three common questions that a person can ask themself to avoid this mistake.

  • What is this paragraph about? 
  • What is the most important part of the paragraph? 
  • What do I want the reader to take from this paragraph? 

So by answering these questions, a person can settle on a subheading that gives a promise to the reader. Hence, the better subheading in the above-given example can be “how to define security requirements for the mobile applications.”

The reader may have a better understanding of what is expected from the given section and text; that’s why they may be interested in intending to read. But if this element is missing, the reader will leave the page in a structured manner. 

Being creative at the expense of clarity 

Creativity is the most impressive element of any writing, but when it comes to the expanse of confusion, it makes the desired goals more difficult to achieve in the long run.

subheadings in nutrition

One example in this regard is if one of the subheadings in the article about the nutrient’s application is “Burning men,” it might confuse the reader, although the writer goes at arm’s length to be creative. But the reader of the article cannot understand the context of the writing in this regard, making things more challenging in the long run.

Readers want the solutions more clearly and understandably so that section can be renamed as “apps for counting calories.” It makes more sense and does not upset the reader, although it is not much creativity in its nature. 

Inconsistent in the structure 

Such subheadings are different in length and grammatical structure and are considered hard for the reader to process. That’s why it is important from the reader’s perspective to follow the pattern in headings the subheadings.

Examples of subheadings in an article

One example is given as under. 

Headline: Five Tips for the Smartest Development Ever

Subheading 1: The lack of clear goals is why your project might get off track

Subheading 2: Deal with over-engineering

Subheading 3: Stop reinventing the wheel

Subheading 4: Why DevOps is what you need 

The above-mentioned subheadings are not consistent in its nature and don’t create a rhythm that makes it easy to perceive the information. So in the following manner, it can be fixed effectively. 

Subheading 1: Set clear goals

Subheading 2: Avoid over-engineering

Subheading 3: Stop reinventing the wheel

Subheading 4: Use DevOps

Now it is simple in its nature as well as more effective from the results perspective. You can also complete your heading and subheading while working on your skeletal outline before writing an article.

Drifting away from the main topic

Every subheading in the article should be linked back to the article’s main heading. The simple rule allows you to stay on track and not turn the work into an overweight piece about everything.

Such as, if you are writing an article titled “How to manage time differences,” then the subheading should be in such a manner that it can manage the time difference. A general mistake in this regard is as under

Headline: How to Manage Time Differences

Subheading 1: If you think that time differences are the reason your workflow is going off the rails, it’s not

Subheading 2: Adjust, don’t get adjusted

Subheading 3: Start late, leave late

Subheading 4: What if something urgent happens?

Subheadings 2 and subheading 4 do not fit the criteria linked with the main topic message. So it can be fixed in the following manner

Headline: How to Manage Time Differences

Subheading 1: Schedule meetings in advance

Subheading 2: Adjust, don’t get adjusted

Subheading 3: Start late, leave late

Subheading 4: Have a plan B if something goes wrong 

That’s how everything is connected to the hardline. And you, as the author of an article, are the only one who can correct this the right way. 

The use of subheadings in articles

Subheadings in articles provide further insight into the headline, which is why they are extremely important in their application in a meaningful way. It helps the reader to keep reading and scanning the information by saving them time.

examples of subheadings in an article

A good subheading leaves the element of curiosity to engage the reader further in a meaningful way.

How many words should be in a subheading?

A general rule of thumb suggests that subheadings should be 10 to 30 words at the max under the headline.

Subheadings are important because it improves the reading experience along with enhancing search engine rankings. It takes practice, tips, and tricks to write effective and result-oriented subheadings, separating the content, achieving clarity, and making them short and more engaged in their nature.

Use these tips and write awesome subheadings in your articles

Writers can use these techniques to come up with such content that is more persuasive in its nature and structure. Some of the major global companies, such as Bellroy and Fitbit, etc., focus on using unique and effective subheadings on their websites to keep the reader’s attention intact while visiting their pages.

Lack of planning in creating the subheading is the major barrier to achieving the desired results. Some writer often engages in being more creative on the expanse of losing clarity which is the mistake that hinders the entire process of engaging readers through the content. 

Do not make mistakes and start working on your subheading from this very moment 😉

Vasy Kafidoff
Vasy Kafidoff

Vasyl Kafidoff is the founder and mastermind of KAFIDOFF.COM. He has a strong interest in education, modern technology, marketing, and business management.

If Vasy is not working, you can find him somewhere in the world attending a Rock Concert with his mates.

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