Headings

Headings are signposts for people. They make content easy to scan. People using assistive technologies can navigate documents and webpages using headings. Search engines use headings to index webpages.

Keywords

Headings state the main point of the content that follows. But the first 2 or 3 words in a heading might be all that people read. It’s important to begin headings with keywords that grab attention.

Heading styles

Always use styles in writing software to format headings; don’t bold and resize ‘normal’ text instead. Heading styles ensure a consistent visual difference between each level of heading. Styles also allow assistive technologies and search engines to identify headings.

Each heading level should differ visually. But use the same format for all headings at the same level.

Rules for writing headings:

  • Keep them short – a maximum of 70 characters including spaces.
  • Use sentence case and minimal punctuation.
  • Avoid questions – they add to the reader’s cognitive load.
  • Ensure headings at the same level are parallel (seeParallel structure for lists’).

Write this

Write headings that are clear and short [Heading is a statement with 39 characters]

Not this

How can you avoid being confusing and long-winded when writing headings? [Heading is a question with 72 characters]

Heading hierarchy

The heading hierarchy is the arrangement of headings at different levels in logical order. The hierarchy shows how important content is and how it’s connected.

Rules for the heading hierarchy:

  • Keep the H1 for the title of your document or webpage.
  • Use H2 for main headings and H3 and H4 as subheadings and sub-subheadings.
  • Try not to go lower than H4.
  • Never skip heading levels in your document – for example, don’t follow H2 with H4.

Write this

H1: Dates and time

H2: Use numerals for times of day

H3: The 24-hour clock

H3: Coordinated Universal Time

Not this

H1: Dates and time

H2: Use numerals for times of day

H4: The 24-hour clock

H4: Explaining Coordinated Universal Time

[A jump from H2 to H4; H4s don’t have parallel structure]

Definitions

Sentence case means using an initial capital for the first word and any proper nouns. All other words in the heading are in lower case.

Proper nouns are the names of people, places, organisations or other things that start with a capital letter.

Style Manual pages

About this page

This page was updated Thursday 19 December 2024.

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