What Is An H1 Tag?
A Beginner’s Guide to H1 Tags
and SEO Best Practices
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In the world of on-page SEO, every element of your website plays a crucial role in determining its visibility and ranking in search engine results, especially your H1 tags.
While many complex strategies and techniques can be employed, sometimes the most impactful changes come from optimizing seemingly simple elements. One such element is the H1 tag.
This article will explore what exactly an H1 tag is, why it’s so important for both search engines and user experience, and how you can use it effectively to boost your website’s performance.
What is an H1 Tag (Headings)?
An H1 tag (or heading) is an HTML tag used to indicate the main title or highlight the primary subject of a webpage. HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language, which is the fundamental code that tells web browsers how to display content on a website.
Think of an HTML tag as a snippet of code that tells the browser how to present that content. The “h” in “h1” stands for “header,” and the number indicates the position of that header within the page’s information hierarchy. Specifically, the h1 tag is the most important of the six heading tags (h1 through h6).
An H1 tag in HTML code looks like this: <h1>Main page header goes here</h1>.
Visually, the H1 tag is usually the largest and most prominent text on the page. It is often styled to stand out using CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), which allows web designers to control the visual presentation of HTML elements.
Why are H1 Headings Important for SEO?
H1 Headings are a key part of on-page SEO, the practice of optimizing individual web pages in order to rank higher and gain more relevant traffic in search engines. While it’s not a confirmed ranking factor, Google recommends the use of H1 tags, along with other HTML tags, as an SEO best practice.
Here’s why they matter:
Helping Search Engines Understand Content
Search engine crawlers pay special attention to header tags (h1, h2, h3 etc.) to understand the content of a page. The h1 tag acts as a clear signal to search engines, letting them know what the page is about. The keywords you use in your header tags, especially in the h1, signal your page’s relevancy to specific search queries.
Improving User Experience (UX)
H1 tags significantly improve user experience (UX). They make it easy for visitors to see what a page is about at a glance. A clear page structure, including a well-defined h1 tag, ensures that the right searchers find your article and quickly locate the information they need. They also provide readers with a sense of the structure and hierarchy of the content, reassuring them that they’ve found the information they are looking for.
Improving Accessibility
H1 tags are also important for website accessibility. Screen readers, used by visually impaired individuals, rely on these tags to understand and communicate the content on a page. A clear hierarchical structure with h1 tags helps screen readers interpret the page effectively.
Potential Use by Google for Meta Titles
In some cases, Google may use the content of your h1 heading instead of your meta title in search results. This makes optimizing the H1 all the more important.
H1 Tags vs. Title Tags
It’s easy to confuse h1 tags with page titles (or title tags) because both describe the content of a page, but they serve different functions.
The h1 tag describes the topic of the content on the page, prominently displayed to reassure searchers they’re in the right place. It sets the stage for the content that follows, much like a topic sentence in an essay.
Google might sometimes use your h1 tag as the title link in the search engine results page (SERP), making it important to craft it carefully.
It’s important to remember that Google reserves the right to decide how title tags appear in search engine results, and this may not always be how you wrote it.
The title tag provides clues to Google about the content of the page, but it isn’t visibly displayed on the page itself. Instead, the title tag appears as the clickable link in search engine results. The title tag also establishes topical relevance to search queries.
How to Create Effective H1 Tags
Creating effective h1 tags is a balance of optimizing for both search engines and user experience.
Here are some best practices to keep in mind:
Use only one H1 tag per page
Each page should have only one main h1 tag. Using multiple h1 tags can dilute the SEO power of a single h1 tag. While not a major issue from an SEO perspective, it’s best practice to avoid multiple H1s as it can confuse both users and search engines.
Make each H1 unique
Each h1 tag on your website should be unique. Using duplicate h1 tags may confuse both users and search engines, making it difficult to know which page is most relevant to a particular search query. This can also impact search traffic.
Craft descriptive H1 tags
Your h1 tag should give your readers a strong sense of what the page is about. It should also align with the title tag and fulfill the expectations set by the title.
Don’t stuff H1 tags with keywords
Avoid over-optimizing your h1 tags by cramming them with keywords. Google interprets this as an attempt to game the system, which can make your page seem untrustworthy. Favour user experience over keyword density.
Use your main keyword in your H1 tag
Include the primary keyword you hope to rank for in your h1 tag. This helps draw a direct line from the content of your page to the search query that brings you organic traffic. Prioritize long-tail keywords where possible.
H1 tags should match search intent
Consider the search intent behind the keywords you are targeting. What is the user’s goal when using that search query? Your h1 tag should align with that objective.
H1 length
There’s no strict technical limit to the length of an h1 tag, but it’s best to keep it between 20 and 70 characters, including spaces and punctuation. Aim for a sweet spot of around 55 characters to ensure it’s easily readable and is not cut off in search results.
Style your H1 tag to stand out
The h1 tag should be the most important visual element on the page. It should be big, strong, and impossible to miss. This signals to the user that they’ve arrived at the correct page.
Support your H1 with other HTML header tags
Your header tags (h2, h3, h4, etc.) should create a clear information hierarchy. Use H2s as chapter titles, and H3s to H6s as subtopics within each section. This not only helps visitors skim your page but also helps search engines understand the structure of your content.
How to Add an H1 Tag to a Website Page
Adding h1 tags to your website is a straightforward process, and it will vary depending on your website’s content management system (CMS).
WordPress
In WordPress, most themes will automatically assign the h1 tag to the page title. You can also change the heading tags directly in the WordPress editor.
Wix
Wix automatically assigns the h1 tag to blog post titles. You can add h1 tags to other pages by selecting the text and choosing “Heading 1” from the style options.
Squarespace
Squarespace also automatically assigns blog post titles the h1 tag. For other pages, you can select the text and choose “Heading 1” from the formatting options.
HTML
To add an h1 tag directly to a page’s source code, use the following format: <h1>Your Page Title Here</h1>.
How to Audit H1 Tags
Regularly auditing your h1 tags is important to ensure your website is optimized for search. Here are some ways to do it:
Screaming Frog’s SEO Spider
You can use the free version of Screaming Frog’s SEO Spider to crawl your website and identify pages with missing, duplicate or multiple H1 tags. This tool allows you to quickly see an overview of h1 tag issues.
Semrush’s Site Audit
Tools like Semrush’s Site Audit can provide comprehensive reports on your website’s health and performance, including identifying pages with missing, duplicate, or empty h1 tags.
“TitleGate”
It’s important to note a significant change in how Google handles page titles. In 2021, Google started to sometimes display h1 tags in search results instead of the meta title.
This change, sometimes called “TitleGate,” highlights the importance of optimizing the h1 tag even more, and means that you should place your target keywords at the beginning of your title so it is obvious to Google. It’s also vital that you still complete the title tag as it is still taken into account by search engine algorithms.
So always pay attention to your H1’s
H1 tags are a seemingly small detail that can make a significant difference in your website’s SEO performance.
They are a key element of on-page SEO, helping both search engines and users understand your content. While not a confirmed ranking factor, using H1 tags is a best practice recommended by Google and other search engines.
By following the best practices discussed in this article, you can optimize your h1 tags to improve your search rankings and create a better user experience.
Now you understand the importance of h1 tags, it’s time to look at what makes great content: