How to Add a Subheading in Shopify Dawn Theme (Step-by-Step Guide)

Are you using the Shopify Dawn theme and wondering how to add a subheading under your section titles? By default, Dawn is minimal and clean, but it doesn’t provide an option for subheadings. Adding a subheading improves design, provides extra context, and enhances user experience.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to add a subheading in Shopify Dawn theme with simple code edits. Don’t worry — you don’t need to be a professional developer; just follow these steps.

Why Add a Subheading in Shopify Dawn Theme?

Before jumping into the tutorial, here’s why adding subheadings can improve your store:

✅ Makes section titles more informative and engaging.
✅ Helps customers understand the context of collections or products.
✅ Improves readability and overall design.
✅ Adds SEO value by including secondary keywords.

Step 1: Open the Theme Editor

Log in to your Shopify Admin.
Go to Online Store → Themes.
Find your Dawn theme, click the three dots, and select Edit Code.

Step 2: Locate the Section File

Decide where you want the subheading (e.g., Featured Collection, Image Banner, Custom Section).

Go to the sections/ folder.
Open the file, for example:sections/featured-collection.liquid

Step 3: Add Subheading Setting in Schema

At the bottom of the section file, you’ll see a {% schema %} block.
Here, add a new field for the subheading.

👉 Insert your schema code here:

Insert the following inside your settings array right after the “heading” setting:

{

“type”: “text”,

“id”: “subheading”,

“label”: “Subheading”,

“default”: “Latest News”

{

“type”: “select”,

“id”: “text_alignment”,

“label”: “Text alignment”,

“default”: “center”,

“options”: [

{

“value”: “left”,

“label”: “Left”

{

“value”: “center”,

“label”: “Center”

{

“value”: “right”,

“label”: “Right”

}

]

This creates a subheading text box in the theme editor.

Step 4: Display the Subheading in HTML/Liquid

Find where the heading (title) is being shown, usually inside <h2> or <h1> tags.
Just below it, paste the subheading code.

👉 Insert your HTML/Liquid code here:

Step 5: Style the Subheading with CSS (Optional)

To make it look professional, add custom CSS in base.css.
For example, you can make the subheading smaller or lighter:

👉 Insert your CSS code here:

Step 6: Save and Preview

Save changes.
Open the Theme Editor.
You’ll now see a subheading field where you can enter text.
Save and refresh — the subheading will appear under your main title. 🎉

Final Thoughts

By following these steps, you’ve learned how to add a subheading in Shopify Dawn theme. This simple customization improves design, enhances user experience, and can even boost SEO by allowing you to add extra keywords naturally.

If you want to further optimize your Shopify store, consider adding:

Custom fonts for headings & subheadings
Better color contrast for readability
SEO-optimized headings with keywords