Like any meat-n-potato SEO tactics, headings play a crucial role in making the content on a web page well organized and easier to read. Not only that but also, they are important for good technical SEO. It means the search engine optimization (SEO) steps you should take to make your website easier for search engine bots to crawl and index webpages. Crawling and indexing refer to “reading” the pages and categorizing them by that. So, if bots aren’t able to crawl a page, ranking becomes difficult.
Now, technical SEO refers to practices that hardly do with the website’s actual content. Instead, it focuses on the infrastructure of the website, for example, the use of different headings. Header tags are an easy way to advance the technical SEO of any homepage.
Categorized by numbers, from H1 to H6, there are different types of header tags. Each header plays a different role and thus, gives search engine crawlers such as Googlebot vital info about that page. This guide will explain the best header structure for SEO and how to use H1 tags for advancing your SEO results.
Header Tags and H1 Tags – What these are?
A webpage or blog post can come with multiple headings. And Hypertext markup language (HTML) tags help in differentiating the headings types. Check out the differences below:
An HTML title tag presents the title of a webpage and is demonstrated on SERPs. However, it does not appear on the content of the webpage. These are called meta titles. On the other hand, an HTML tag, or HTML header tag, is just a part of code that depicts the computer’s web browser how the content should be displayed.
However, this isn’t just about offering search engine bots with info; but it also promotes a more structured and user-friendly experience. While large chunks of text are difficult to read on the screen, headers make reading easier.
H1 Tags
The H1 tag is considered the most crucial because it is essentially the page title. Search engine bots refer to the H1 title tag to understand what a page is about, and it is a critical ranking factor. Also, it is usually the most visible content on the courier for the reader since H1-tagged content conventionally shows larger screens even though that is not necessary.
To make sure your content is more SEO-friendly, specifically the H1 tag, use advanced tools. These will suggest including the keyword you hope to rank for within various technical SEO facets of your page.
H2 Tags
H2 headings are used to subdivide the content into meaningful and consistent sections. For example, if the page’s title is the book’s title, the H2 tags subdivide the content into two main “chapters”.
H3 Tags
H3 tags help in further subdividing and clarifying your content. For example, you have two H2 categories in your content and under them, you might include a list of features or practices, making each one an H3 header.
H4 Tags and Beyond
SEO H4, H5, and H6 tags are used in further organizing the content on the page. They help in adding more details without leaving the reader struggling with huge disorganized chunks of text.
Are H1 Tags and Headers Important? … Why?
H1 tags are a crucial component of the content since these tell search engine bots and web users what that page is all about. The H1 of a webpage is the most critical heading, and it should precisely summarize the contents on that page. While you can’t just insert any random H1, incorporating appropriate headers throughout your content has distinct advantages.
Display the Structure of the Text
It is crucial to create scannable content for making it easier to read text on small screens like tablets and smartphones. Headers break the long strings of text and stand as signposts—this helps guide the reader throughout the content. Also, readers can quickly identify which parts of the text they find most important and jump to that part.
Better Accessibility
Headers also help in improving the accessibility of a webpage. Screen Readers can check out HTML code and any text marked with HTML. A visually impaired person can decide if the content on that page is worth reading. Headers also help simplify navigation since, with their help, screen readers can offer shortcuts to skip between tagged headings.
SEO Improvement
Headings can benefit your SEO. Search engines like Google consider user-friendliness a key ranking factor. And bots will take headers as user-friendly since they format the page and make the content easy to scan and access. Without the headings, bots may not find the page user-friendly. Thus, consequently, your search engine results may not be as desired.
How to Add H1 Tags?
To add H1 tags, you don’t have to be a search engine optimization expert. Not even you need to know how to code to master HTML header tags. Below, let us check out how to include headings into your page structure easily.
Using Headings Within Your Page Structure
Generally, headings need to be used hierarchically – starting with H1, H2, H3…For longer and more complex content, using up to H6 can help in promoting clarity. It is all about organizing the content and making it easier for readers to scan and understand.
While structuring headers, you need to prioritize logic. Therefore, you should focus on creating and organizing titles that serve as clear signposts to the readers. While the H1 introduces the topic, the H2 subheaders break that topic into key sections, and H3 and other headers add further details. Content writers can also use headings to outline content before writing it. This helps in ensuring clarity.
Here is SEO H1, H2, H3……… tags example in a content structure:
- H1: Key Health Advantages of Practising Yoga
- H2: Mental Health Advantages
- H3: Reduces Stress
- H3: Fights Anxiety
- H3: Fights Depression
- H2: Physical Health Advantages
- H3: Enhanced Cardiovascular Endurance
- H3: Stronger Muscles
- H3: Better Flexibility
Final Words
Search engines like Google keep updating the algorithms and change the strategy of ranking pages. Thus, H1 headings have evolved, and best practices regarding using H1 have changed accordingly. Currently, Google favours having multiple H1 headers and prefers a more user-friendly experience over keyword density. That is why you suggest using the primary keyword into your H1 header naturally instead of stuffing it. Additionally, page content needs to be organized logically and practically to prioritize readability over anything else. Again, remember that you won’t be managing content for bots but human readers. With that in mind, the structure of your content needs to be adjusted.