How should you structure headings for SEO?
guide // , 5 min read, by Darthwares
Headings are fundamental HTML elements that organize content on a web page. Properly structuring these headings helps search engines understand your content, aids user navigation, and can improve how your pages are presented in search results. By following established guidelines for hierarchy and descriptive language, you can make your content more accessible and discoverable.
On this page // 6 sections
The short version
- Use a single <h1> per page, followed by a logical hierarchy of <h2>, <h3>, and so on, without skipping levels.
- Google recommends descriptive headings, using sentence case and avoiding excessive punctuation.
- Google suggests starting task-based headings with bare infinitives and conceptual headings with noun phrases.
- Headings significantly improve accessibility for screen reader users and help search engines generate relevant title links.
- While Google Search does not use semantic heading order for ranking, it remains crucial for user experience and accessibility.
Why do headings matter for SEO?
Headings help search engines understand your content, aid user navigation, and contribute to how your pages are presented in search results. Search engine optimization, or SEO, focuses on helping search engines understand your content and helping users find your site.
Headings break up long content into manageable sections, which assists users in navigating your pages. Google states that it uses various sources, including the words within the <title> element and other headings on the page, to generate the title link that appears as the headline in search results. A good title link is unique, clear, concise, and accurately describes the page's content, helping users decide whether to click. Semantic elements, including headings, are important for assistive technologies and, in some cases, search engines, as they help automated tools decipher markup.
What is the correct hierarchy for headings?
Headings should follow a strict hierarchical order from <h1> to <h6>, with <h1> being the highest level and used only once per page. The HTML elements <h1> through <h6> represent six levels of section headings, where <h1> is the highest and <h6> is the lowest. Headings with an equal or higher rank start a new section, while headings with a lower rank start new subsections within a higher-ranked section.
It is important to avoid skipping heading levels. For example, a <h2> should not be followed directly by an <h4>. Instead, always start from <h1>, followed by <h2>, and so on, nesting headings without skipping levels. Google documents that each page should have a unique <h1> heading and that this level-1 heading should only be used once on a page. This hierarchical organization helps to communicate the structure of the content clearly.
- Use only one <h1> per page.
- Follow a logical sequence: <h1>, then <h2>, then <h3>, and so on.
- Do not skip heading levels (e.g., from <h2> to 4).
- Do not use heading elements solely to resize text.
How do headings improve accessibility?
Headings provide crucial navigation and content organization for users of assistive technologies like screen readers. Headings communicate the organization of the content on the page, and user agents can use this information to construct a table of contents automatically. For instance, a common navigation technique for users of screen reading software is to quickly jump from heading to heading to understand the page's content.
Most screen readers can also generate an ordered list of all headings on a page, which helps a person quickly determine the content hierarchy and navigate to different sections. Writing semantic HTML means using elements to structure content based on their meaning, not just their appearance. Semantic markup is important for helping automated tools, including assistive devices like screen readers, parse and interpret content. Using semantic elements improves accessibility, while using non-semantic elements reduces it.
How should you write descriptive headings?
Headings should be descriptive and reflect the content type. Google recommends using sentence case for all headings and titles to improve readability and navigation. Structure content with descriptive headings that reflect whether the content is task-based or conceptual.
For a task-based heading, Google suggests starting with a bare infinitive, which is also known as a plain form or base form verb. For a conceptual or non-task-based heading, Google recommends using a noun phrase that does not start with an "-ing" verb. Google also advises avoiding "-ing" verbs, numbers, and excessive punctuation in headings. If an abbreviation is used, it should be defined in the first paragraph following the heading. It is also important to avoid excessively repeating the same words, as this can be tiring for users and is considered keyword stuffing, which is against Google's spam policies.
Does heading order matter for Google Search?
While a semantic heading order is beneficial for screen readers and overall accessibility, Google Search states that the order of heading tags does not directly impact ranking. Google documents that having headings in semantic order is "fantastic for screen readers," but from a Google Search perspective, it does not matter if they are used out of order.
Despite this, the semantics of an element, or its 'role,' are important to assistive technologies and, in some cases, search engines. Semantic element usage clearly helps accessibility, and using non-semantic elements reduces it. Therefore, maintaining a logical and semantic heading structure remains a best practice for providing a good user experience and ensuring content is accessible to all users, even if Google Search does not penalize non-semantic order for ranking purposes.
Common questions
Can I use headings to make text larger?
No, heading elements are intended to represent six levels of section headings and communicate content organization, not to resize text or define content's appearance.
How many <h1> tags should a page have?
You should prefer using only one <h1> per page. Google also states that each page has a unique level-1 heading and only uses it once.
What is a "bare infinitive" in a heading?
A bare infinitive is the plain or base form of a verb, such as "Create" or "Manage." Google recommends starting task-based headings with a bare infinitive.
Should I skip heading levels, like going from <h2> to <h4>?
No, you should not skip heading levels. Always start from <h1>, followed by <h2>, and so on. Skipping ranks can be confusing and should be avoided.
Why is semantic HTML important for headings?
Semantic HTML uses elements based on their meaning, not appearance. This helps automated tools, including screen readers and, in some cases, search engines, decipher content structure and improves overall accessibility.
Primary sources and further reading
This article was researched and written by an AI model and published automatically. It was written from sentences that were checked to appear on the pages below, but a person has not reviewed the text. If something is wrong, tell us at chibivikramathithan@darthwares.com and we will correct it.