Subheads are a big part of any effective blog post or web page. If you still aren’t sure what all the fuss is about subheads in your content, you can find some useful information here.
For those of you that know you need them, but aren’t sure how to proceed, keep reading.
Subheads are beneficial for a number of reasons, most notably breaking up your content so it’s easier on the eyes and allowing skimmers to find out what your post is about without having to read the whole thing. Since more and more people these days will skim a post or web page, having compelling subheads in the body will help you appeal to more readers.
In an ideal world, your subheads will guide the reader through the piece, and almost tell a story on their own. They are like mini titles, piquing the interest of readers as they move through the content. Once one section has been completed, there’s the next subhead to help draw them into the next and continue telling the story.
There is probably no such thing as the “perfect” subhead. If it succeeds in moving the story along and moving your reader on to the next section, then it has done its job. One thing you don’t want to do is make them longer than they need to be. How long is that? Long enough to accomplish your goal, and no longer.
Just like sentences, shorter is always better if you have to choose between the two. Remember that it’s about communication, so you can make a statement, ask a question, trail off with deep thoughts, or anything else that gets your point across. In the above subhead, “Your Subheads Need to be Brief but Powerful” could work, but since we are already on the subject of subheads, condensing it like I did says the same thing with a quick punch.
Venturing off topic is an issue for many content creators, and that extends to subheads. Start with the title or headline at the top of the page, then stay focused all the way through to the end. When done correctly, your use of subheads will place the reader in a sort of trance and introducing a new thought or concept part way through will break the trance and possibly lose the reader in the process.
The old Google principle of content being relevant and useful is what you should aim for in all components, including subheads.
Follow these tips to create subheads in your content that will engage readers and accomplish your primary goal for any piece of content, which is to get them to read it through to the end and then take the appropriate action. If you’d like to continue the subhead discussion with one of our experts, give us a call at 888.221.5041 today.
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