It’s one thing to get someone to read your article because of a catchy title, and another to get the reader to continue reading your article.
There are many tactics you can employ to do this, but one of the best ways is to simply use subheadings (or subtitles).
With these in place, a reader immediately knows what each section of your article is about.
#1. Subheadings are Your Article’s “Pillars”
“Skimming” is something we do when we immediately see that we have a huge amount of text to read. We don’t want to go through each and every word in this huge body of text, so we get our brains to pay attention only to the important words, phrases and concepts in an article.
Subheadings work the same way, as they help readers know what the article section is about, no matter how complexly the article is written.
Subheadings should be properly structured like the following image below:
#2. Subheadings Make Articles Easier to Digest
With a subheading for each section in place, a reader instantly knows what the article writer expounds on in this section. This gives the reader the chance to find and focus only on the parts of your article that he or she wishes to or needs to read.
This is powerful, especially since many blog readers will altogether ignore articles that are not properly organized and divided into easily readable sections.
Take a look at the example image below, if you were looking for the colored umbrella, would you find it easily?
#3. You, the Writer, Also Benefit from Using Subheadings
Using subheadings also keeps you from going off-topic, as you go into the details of the article section. As you read your concise subheading, it will be easy for you to determine if the subject you’re discussing still falls within the section it’s in, or if you need to place it in a different section.
Writing subheadings will prevent you from being “all over the place”, as you compose your article.
#4. Subheadings Work with SEO
Subheadings are usually direct and concise. They contain important information or “power words”, without the need for verbiage. In SEO, chances are that the words you use in your subheadings will be caught by search engines’ spiders. When using subheadings for SEO purposes, it’s best to use “short-tail” (more general) and “long-tail” (more specific) keywords. The term “NYC Gelato Shop” is considered to be a long-tail keyword, while “Gelato” is short-tail. In your HTML code, specify headings and subheadings by using < H3 >< /H3 > or < H4 >< /H4 >, respectively. You can use as many subheadings as you like, but increment the number by 1 each time you use a different heading/subheading.
How to Write Subheadings?
Even with subheadings in place, it’s best to simplify the content of your article, making it even easier for your readers to digest.
According to BlueJ Projects, if you’re composing your article for internet readers, it’s best to write as if you’re writing something for 8-graders: writing for a higher level will generally be too complex for online readers.
A subheading should also be able to provide good information by itself; it’s best to abstain from using terms that your readers most probably won’t understand, or you risk putting off your readers.
At the same time, make sure your subheadings are neither long nor complex because this way, your readers are more likely to continue reading your article through to the very end.
Writing quality articles is a great way to market your skills online. When blog readers like an article you wrote, chances are, they’ll try to find out more about you.
This builds your credibility, as you lead readers to a page where you could discuss the product or services that you offer, in greater detail.
