Header Tags (H1-H6)
HTML heading elements that structure your content hierarchically. H1 is the main title, H2s are major sections, and so on. Good heading structure helps both users and search engines understand your content.
Why It Matters
Header tags are one of the clearest signals you can send to Google about what your content covers and how it's organised. The H1 tells Google the primary topic of the page. H2s indicate major subtopics. H3s break those down further.
Beyond SEO, proper heading structure makes content accessible to screen readers and improves readability for all users. It's a structural element that serves multiple audiences simultaneously.
In Practice
Every page should have exactly one H1 that clearly describes the page's primary topic. Include your target keyword naturally - don't force it. Use H2s for main sections and H3s for subsections within those.
Don't skip heading levels (jumping from H1 to H4). Don't use heading tags for styling - use CSS instead. Don't stuff multiple keywords into every heading.
Think of your heading structure as an outline. If someone read only your headings, they should understand the page's structure and main points. If the outline doesn't make sense, restructure.
Related Terms
Glossary
Title Tag
The clickable heading in search results - one of the strongest on-page ranking signals.
Glossary
Content Cluster
A group of related pages around a core topic, connected by internal links.
Glossary
Search Intent
The reason behind a search query - matching it is more important than matching keywords.
Glossary
Technical SEO
Optimising your site's infrastructure so search engines can crawl, render, and index it.
Know the Words.
Now See Them in Action.
Free teardown. No jargon. Just what's broken and how to fix it.
Get The Teardown