Heading Tags – What Are They?

Heading Tag Structure

The heading structure of a web page is important to the readability for the average visitor and those using text editors and search engine optimization.

h tagsh tags – <h1> <h2> <h3> <h4> <h5> <h6>

Headings are defined with the <h1> to <h6> tags.

<h1> defines the most important heading. <h6> defines the least important heading.

The <h1> tag is the main heading and <h2> through <h6> are sub headings. Think of them as a hierarchy based on importance, the above being more important than the below.

SEO and H Tags

Heading structure also plays an important part of search engine optimization.

Search engines recognize the copy in your header tags as more important than the rest of the page. This starts with your h1 and works its way down in importance to the h2, h3 and so on.  These tags support the overall theme or purpose of your page.

Search engine spiders check for heading tags as it looks at your web page. Each search engine spider can prioritize the importance of the headings in a different way.

Header tags are a key component to SEO and can help improve your rankings on the search engines. Check your pages now and see if you’re using your h1, h2 and h3 correctly!

heading tagsUse only 1 H1 Tag

Generally only use one <h1> heading tag in a keyword targeted page – this is the way the W3C intended it be used – and ensure they appear at the top of a page and written with my main keywords or keyword phrases incorporated.

Use as many h2 – h6 tags as needed. Most sites will not make it past h3 tags. Keep the page focused on one topic to rank well for that those set of keywords.

Heading tags can include style elements like color, size, alignment, and hyperlinks. These are easy to do using a CMS like WordPress. Just highlight the text and change from paragraph to appropriate heading tag and add any style elements you like.

Emails for Small Business with Constant ContactDO NOT USE HEADING TAGS TO ENLARGE TEXT

It might seem like any easy shortcut to enlarge and bold some text but improper placement of h tags can wreak havoc on a website’s rankings. Be very vigilant in proper placement of heading tags.

SEO takes time and planning.

Need help? Contact us for a free one hour consultation.