Writing headings to provide more information can often improve document navigation. Good headings can provide enough information for readers to get an idea of the document’s contents without reading it all. Informative headings are particularly useful for online content and documents, as readers often scan screen content.
Ideally, your headings will tell the ‘story’ of your document when seen in a table of contents:
For a book on cat ownership – Your guide to cat ownership
1 The right breed: selecting the cat for you
2 Your new cat: preparing your home
3 Your kitten: understanding its needs
4 Your older cat: caring for cats aged 10+
is more informative than
1 Cat breeds
2 New cats
3 Kittens
4 Older cats
Documents for a general audience often benefit from using sentences or questions, rather than noun phrases, as headings. This can provide more interest and guidance to the content of the section:
Our companies face greater opportunities, but fiercer competition not Potential business growth
Technology will continue to transform our world not New technology
Why is vaccination important? not Rationale
