Get Visitors to Read Your Website Text... Use Headings

Keys to effective copy on your website revolve around how quickly and easily visitors can read it. If your copy does not grab visitors' attention within the first several seconds of their entering your site, they are far less likely to read the text you spent so much time on already.

A very effective element in your text (especially if you have a lot of it) are headings. Headings help in two important ways:

1. Headings Help Visitors Understand What You're Saying
Most importantly, they provide important snippets that summarize your text and grab attention. They act as a window to the paragraph(s) below, letting visitors peek in before they jump into your entire text. Also, even if they do not read beyond the heading, they still have a good summary of what you wanted to

2. Headings Can Help Your Rankings with Search Engines
While some experts say headings are diminishing in importance, they still play a role in increasing your rankings with search engines. As search engines (like Google or Yahoo!) crawl through the Web to see what's out there, they give more relevance to headings that provide relevant descriptions on the purpose of the site.

You can designate headings and their importance in the HTML code of your site. The primary heading is designated as “H1,” and subsequent headings diminish in importance (H2-H6). Your H1 heading should summarize the main purpose of your site—products, services, information, etc. Learn more about using headings effectively.