Subheading distribution in Yoast: a heading every 300 words
Yoast SEO's Subheading distribution check measures each stretch of text between headings. Sections of up to 300 words are green, 300 to 350 words is orange, and more than 350 words without a subheading is red. A text over 300 words with no subheadings at all is also red. Cornerstone content lowers each limit by 50 words.
The check is about scanning. Subheadings let readers find the part they need, and they make the structure of the page clear. They do not raise rankings by existing; a subheading is only useful if it tells the reader what the next section covers.
Every gap is measured, including the opening
Yoast measures the text before your first subheading as well as the text after each one. That catches a common pattern: a long introduction that runs 400 words before the first heading appears. Yoast reports it with its own message: "The beginning of your text is longer than 300 words and is not separated by any subheadings. Add subheadings to improve readability."
For later sections, the feedback counts them: "2 sections of your text are longer than the recommended number of words (300) and are not separated by any subheadings."
Short texts get a pass. At 300 words or fewer with no subheadings, Yoast says the text "is short enough and probably doesn't need them." For cornerstone content, the no-subheading threshold drops to 250 words and the red line to 300. Japanese is measured in characters, with 600 as the standard green limit.
How people actually read long pages
Most visitors do not read a long page from top to bottom. They scan headings and the first words of paragraphs until they find the part that answers their question, then slow down. Usability researchers have documented this for years; Nielsen Norman Group's eyetracking studies described the F-shaped scanning pattern that readers fall into on text-heavy pages.
Subheadings give scanning readers landmarks. They also help people using screen readers, who can jump from heading to heading to find a section. Yoast's check turns that into a simple rule of thumb: do not let more than about 300 words pass without a signpost.
A heading every 300 words is a maximum gap, not a quota. Short sections under good headings are fine.
Headings that help, not headings that pass
It is easy to satisfy this check badly. A heading called "More information" or "Continued" every 300 words turns the light green and helps nobody. Good subheadings describe what the section says:
| Weak | Useful |
|---|---|
| Background | Why hard water clogs espresso machines |
| Step 2 | Run the descaling solution through the group head |
| Other things | When to call a technician instead |
To fix a red result:
- Find where the topic actually shifts inside the long section, and put a heading there.
- If a section has no natural break, it may be covering one idea at great length. Tighten it before adding structure.
- For the long-intro case, move background material below a heading and keep the opening to the answer or the promise.
- Use the right heading level. A new section under the page title is an H2; a subsection within it is an H3.
Bold text is not a heading. A paragraph set in bold looks like a heading on screen, but it is not a heading block, so neither Yoast nor screen readers treat it as one. Use a Heading block at the right level instead.
When a long section is the right shape
Some content reads best without interruptions: a narrative case study, an interview answer, a short story, or a legal clause that must stay intact. Inserting headings into those can make them feel like a form. If the page is built for sustained reading and the audience expects it, an orange result is a reasonable trade.
For everything else, especially guides, help articles and comparison pages, the check is one of the more useful ones Yoast offers, because it maps directly to how people use those pages.
Hydrogen SEO's per-post SEO score does not measure subheading gaps. Structure is assessed site-wide in the Content structure area of the site health score, which looks for sensible heading hierarchies and scannable sections.
Common questions
Does the text before my first heading count?
Yes. Yoast measures the opening of your text as its own section. A long introduction before the first subheading is one of the most common reasons for this warning.
Do more subheadings improve SEO?
Not directly. Clear subheadings help readers and help search engines understand the page's structure, but adding headings for their own sake does not improve rankings.
Is subheading distribution the same as keyphrase in subheading?
No. Subheading distribution checks the spacing between headings. Keyphrase in subheading checks whether your H2 and H3 headings reflect your focus keyphrase.