Heading tags are one of the most important tags in HTML. They define the heading and the subheadings of a page. We have a total of six heading tags in HTML. Heading one <h1> being the most important and heading six <h6> the least.
Headings have a critical purpose in HTML. Any HTML file is combined with a bunch of HTML tags, and to set the hierarchy of importance correctly, we used heading tags. Therefore, there should only be one <h1> in every page because it defines its main idea; even though technically we can use more than one <h1> tag in a page, it is not considered a good practice.
It is still okay to use the rest of the heading tags multiple times in a page. Sometimes, it is even encouraged to do so, because they give your content a better structure.
Why are heading tags important?
HTML Heading tags are used to wrap headings and subheadings. The main tag in HTML <h1> will define what is the page about; the other tags (<h2> <h6>) will give the main idea of the subtopics. These tags are very important because the reader will skim the page just by looking at the headings and subheadings. So, it is crucial to use the proper heading structure when defining the heading tags in every page.
Heading tags and SEO
Heading tags are one of the fundamental steps in on-page SEO strategy. Search engines like google use heading tags to crawl web pages and rank them according to their content. With proper use of heading tags, we will help Google and other search engines to crawl and essentially index our webpages faster. It is also worth mentioning that with the appropriate practice, your pages will capture your target audience more efficiently, and they will stay on the page longer.
- Start with the h1 tag: h1 tag signifies the webpage’s main idea. And within this tag, we should write the most interesting and captivating title ever to capture the viewers’ attention because this title will appear in the search engine result page (SERP).
- Use heading tags for content organization: as we mentioned above, heading tags are the best strategy to give proper structure to the information provided on the page. The purpose is that each header should explain to the reader the type of data he or she should expect in the next block of content.
- Enhance readability with heading tags: readability is one of the primary content SEO strategies. Statistics show that only 16% of people read every word in an article. So, by using heading tags to break up the text into different chunks of paragraphs, you will enhance the readability and scanability of the articles; therefore, readers will stay on the page longer.
- Strategically implement keywords in heading tags: it’s very important to understand that we don’t mean to stuff your heading with keywords. Follow a strict plan to only add your focus keywords in the headings when appropriate. For example, a best practice would be targeting your long-tail keywords in the subheadings whenever possible.
How to use heading in HTML
Heading tags should be used in relation to the importance of the text block they want to represent. Headings show the implemented structure in your articles. This means that our main title should always be h1. Then we arrange the subheadings according to their level from h2 to h6. We should also keep in mind that sometimes our subheadings can have subheadings too.
Most common heading tags mistakes
Even though using heading tags in HTML is fairly easy, but a lot of beginners and sometimes exports tend to use them incorrectly.
- Do not use heading tags to make the text bold or bigger.
- Do not use more than one h1 tag in a page.
- Do not keyword stuff your heading tags.
- Do not follow a consistent strategy in your tags
Conclusion
We tried to show you the significance of heading tags in HTML and SEO throughout this article. It is vital to consider the factors we introduced in the above paragraphs. Following an overall correct heading tags structure can help you achieve a better navigation on your web pages and ultimately rank better on SERP, which is the main focus of any SEO strategy. It will also increase readability and help your readers get the correct information in a well-structured setting.
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