When it comes to content that ranks well in search engines, structure matters — and good content structure starts with headings. Using headings for SEO the right way can ultimately make or break your content strategy, no matter if you’re writing blog posts, service pages, or product descriptions. So let’s start your site off strong by learning how to make your headings work for you.
What Are Heading Tags?
Heading tags are HTML elements used to define the hierarchy and structure of your web content. You can think of them like chapter titles and subheadings in a book. The different heading levels serve specific purposes:
- H1: As the main title of the page, there should only be one per page
- H2: Section headers that organize main ideas (your outline, if you will)
- H3-H6: Subsections used to support and break down H2 topics even further
Many different kinds of platforms, from Microsoft Word and Google Docs to Shopify and WordPress, have different levels of heading formatting options for your text. While heading tags often appear visually larger or bolder on the page, their true power lies in how they signal importance and structure to search engines.
Why Proper Heading Tags Beat Pretty Fonts
Many websites style text to look like a heading by merely adjusting font size or weight. What these creators fail to realize is that, without the correct HTML tags, search engines won’t treat that content like a heading. That’s a big missed opportunity.
Properly tagged headings help search engines understand your page structure. They not only improve accessibility for screen readers, but they also make content easier to crawl and index. They help search engines identify where the important information is on the page.
In short, headings that look right but aren’t tagged right won’t carry any SEO weight, which makes it harder for that info to show up in search results and AI overviews. So make sure to double-check that your headings are appropriately structured and tagged.
The Importance of Keyword Placement in Headings for SEO
Because search engines pay close attention to heading tags when determining what your page is about, headings are one of the most valuable places to include keywords and secondary target terms.
Keywords in headings help by reinforcing topical relevance, improving your chances of ranking for featured snippets and other SERPs, and making your content more scannable and useful for readers.
Just make sure your keywords fit naturally within your headings. No one likes a keyword-stuffed title, especially Google.
Best Practices for SEO-Friendly Headings
To make the most of your heading tags, follow these guidelines:
- Use a single H1 tag per page that clearly reflects the page’s main topic
- Break content into logical sections with descriptive H2s
- Use H3s (and lower) to organize supporting points under each H2
- Incorporate keywords in headings where they fit organically
- Avoid vague or generic headings like “More Info” or “Conclusion”
These best practices for headings usually work well for whatever kind of content you are working on, from webpages and blogs to category and product descriptions.
How To Make Sure Your SEO Heading Structure Is Right
Once you’ve created your content and published your page, it’s a good idea to make sure your formatting translated correctly after publishing. To check that your headings are properly tagged and formatted on a webpage, follow these steps:
- Inspect the HTML by right-clicking on the page and selecting “Inspect” or “Inspect Element” to view the page’s HTML code. Look for heading tags like <h1>, <h2>, <h3>, and so on.
- Check for proper hierarchy by ensuring your page has only one <h1> tag, which should represent the main title. Subsequent headings should follow a logical order: <h2> for main sections, and <h3> onward for sub-sections.
- Validate headings with an SEO Tool, like using Google Search Console to analyze your webpage’s heading structure. These kinds of tools should flag any missing or improperly nested heading tags.
- Visually verify that headings appear distinct (larger, bold, or a different style) on the page. You may need to adjust your formatting settings to get this the way you want it to look. This can help ensure the headings stand out for users.
Here’s a snapshot that can help you visualize this:
Don’t rely purely on how the headings look on the live page. Double-checking that the HTML code is registering your heading tags correctly is an essential step to using SEO headings the right way.
Ready To Improve Your Headings for SEO?
At BKA Content, we optimize content and strategies to follow industry-leading best practices like properly structuring headings for SEO. Schedule a consultation with one of our SEO experts today and start building content that search engines (and your customers) love, using smart strategies like effective headings for SEO.
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