Unless you’re brand new to the internet, you will have seen your fair share of heading tags, and probably thought nothing of them.
That is, until now.
Heading tags are an often overlooked, yet effective way to improve user experience and optimise content so that it performs well in search engines.
What are HTMl heading tags?
In short, heading tags are parts of HTML that are used to clearly mark-up headings (and subheadings) on a web page.
HTML heading tags look like this:
<h1>Example main heading tag</h1>
<h2>Example subheading tag </h2>
<h3>Example sub-subheading tag </h3>
Heading tags can go from h1 to h6. The number shows how important a heading is. Smaller numbers mean more important.
The <h1> is the most important heading, whilst <h3> is the least important.
Heading tags can be useful for making a blog look better visually. They can make the text bold or bigger to make it easier for a user to read the content and understand the flow. They’re also beneficial for search engine crawl bots.
Search engine crawl bots look at heading tags to understand what a page is about, which helps increase the chances of visibility in the search engine results page for related searches.
Additionally, heading tags can also improve the accessibility of a page. Screen readers use this information to help navigate through and read a page.
Heading tag hierarchy
H1 heading tags
The main heading on a page is the H1. The H1 tag should be used for the main heading of the page which will be the best explanation of the content.
The H1 tag should be placed at the top of the page. It should be unique from any other H1 heading used throughout the website as it can result in duplicate content.
The H1 heading tag should be optimised best for search engines by using the target keyword/phrase of the page, which will give it the best chance of appearing in the correct search results.
H2 heading tags
H2 heading tags are used as subheadings to divide a page’s content into sections.
Unlike H1 heading tags, there can be more than one H2 on a page. These tags help implement clear structure to a page’s content, making it easier for search engine crawl bots and reader to follow.
H3 to H6 heading tags
Heading tags H3 through to H6 can be used within the above-mentioned digestible sections of content to further break these down into subsections.
For example, under the subheading “what are the different types of heading tags?” you could use a H3 heading tag to create the subsections “what is a H1 heading tag?” “what is a H2 heading tag?” and so on.
The subsection relates to the context of the section of content.
What are the benefits of using heading tags?
Header tags help make a site more accessible since screen readers are able to use this information to read the structure of the page.
Visually impaired web users can utilise screen readers, a technology that helps convert text to sound.
A screen reader is able to present all the headings on a page as a contents, whereby the user can choose the particular section that they are most interested in.
SEO advantages of heading tags
Headings don’t just make pages easier to read, they also help with search engine optimisation.
Search engines look at heading tags to understand what a page is about. This information helps them show the most appropriate pages in the right search results.
If a page has clear headings, search engines can find and understand it more easily. They can see what the main topics and subtopics are.
But first, Google has to index your page. That means adding it to its list so it can show up in searches.
Need help adding headings to your website? Talk to the Engage Web team!
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