How to Use Headings for SEO

Headings for SEO are no different from a heading in any other piece of content. The main purpose of a heading is:

Heading tags in SEO exist in your webpage HTML. HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language, and it is the language that is used to create webpages. HTML tags define a webpage’s layout, the elements on the page, and how visual content appears to users.

Heading tags are the bits of code within your webpage HTML that indicate headings on the webpage, translating to how the browser should display the content on the page.

When it comes to what heading is best for SEO, remember that the heading tags within HTML go from H1 down to H6, where H1 is the most important tag, and H6 is the least important.

You’re probably familiar with them without knowing – heading tags for SEO in digital content look like this:

<h1>Heading 1</h1>

Heading tags are arranged hierarchically, and this is a structure you should seek to emulate in your content. So, the heading structure for the SEO titles on your page should look like this:

<h1>Heading 1</h1>

<h2>Heading 2</h2>

<h3>Heading 3</h3>

<h4>Heading 4</h4>

<h5>Heading 5</h5>

<h6>Heading 6</h6>

Using H1 Tags

Your H1 tag is your page’s title, and it helps both users and search engine bots understand what your page is about. A H1 is the biggest and most important heading on the page. So, nailing your H1 is one of the quickest SEO wins.

However, a H1 is slightly different to a title tag. The H1 is shown on the website or webpage whereas title tags are optimised page titles that appear in the SERP (search engine results page) rather than on the page itself. You should ensure you optimise your title tag, too.

How Do You Optimise H1 Tags?

Can I Have Multiple H1 Tags?

There’s no hard and fast rule, really. Google says it’s okay to use more than one H1 in a piece of content, but we think a H1 should be reserved for your main title and primary keyword. This ensures that your content is as focused and relevant as possible.  

Using H2 Tags

Your H2 tag is a subheading that should contain your secondary keywords. If you’re writing long-form content – that is, content of 3,000 words or more – you can use more than one H2 tag in the piece. However, you must follow the same hierarchical structure when doing so.  

Using H3-H6 Tags

Your H3 is a further subheading for your content that follows your H2. It’s basically a subheading for your H2. Your H4 is a subheading for your H3, and so on, to clarify and organise your page content all the way down to a H6.

A helpful, relevant and search-optimised blog can do wonders for your organic visibility. With any blog post you upload to your site, particularly if it’s a long blog post, using headings correctly is key.

To make it easier to optimise your headings for SEO, take a look at an example of heading tags:

H1: Are Forums Dying? Why Forum Participation Can Boost Your SEO Strategy

H2: What is forum participation in marketing?

H3: How were forums used as a black hat SEO tactic?

H3: Why forums are making a comeback

H3: Benefits of forum participation for your business’ SEO

H3: How Google Search Perspectives and Experiences impacts forum participation

Now that you know how to structure your headings, you need to know how to implement them. We’ll talk you through how to use headings within one of the most popular content management systems, WordPress.

How to use headings for SEO in WordPress:

You can add heading tags for SEO via the WordPress editor. Simply click the + button, choose ‘Heading’ on the block editor, and decide which type of heading you want.

On the other hand, if you’re utilising the classic editor, select a heading from the dropdown menu on the visual tab.

Alternatively, you can add headings for SEO using HTML. Go to the text tab or code and utilise the heading tags to specify the type. Make sure you open and close each heading with the right code, e.g. <h1> and </h1>.

You can easily swap between the visual and HTML editor in the block toolbar on WordPress. Tap on the three dots and select the ‘Edit as HTML’ button. To add headings to WordPress quickly and easily, take a look at the keyboard shortcuts below.

There are many benefits of SEO headings. Let’s take a look at some below.

• Provide a good user experience

Making your webpage or content user-friendly can significantly impact your SEO. While using heading tags doesn’t directly affect your ranking on Google, the search engine does consider user experience a ranking factor. Therefore, when your content is easier to digest, search engine bots deem your content useful, helpful and better for user experience, ensuring your search visibility doesn't slip.

• Promote accessibility

Using appropriate headings on your webpage can also improve the accessibility for users who can’t read screens easily. Plus, using a header allows screen readers to navigate more easily to relevant sections of your content.

• Show text structure and break up the text

Headings are important for usability, especially as readers are looking for content fast and so tend to skim-read to get a basic idea. If your headings aren’t descriptive or relevant to what your reader is searching for, your users may leave your page faster, impacting your bounce rate. In fact, SEO Guru Neil Patel conducted a study that found that adding an appropriate H1 increased organic search traffic to a blog post by 85%, and from page three of the SERP to position eight on page one, so it’s important that you utilise your headings.

• Capture featured snippets

From an SEO perspective, using headings is a great way to optimise for featured snippets by answering related questions or getting your keywords in so that users know exactly what your content is about and Google knows what your page should rank for. Make sure you analyse the SERP for your target keywords as this can help you to form your headings.

There are different types of featured snippet you can compete for. For example, a numbered list typically pops up in searches that include the phrase ‘how to’, giving step-by-step instructions about how to do something. You may also see a numbered list or bulleted list (i.e. unordered list) for a listicle, such as Instagrammable Places in Harrogate or Best Sushi Restaurants in London. An example of how we did this can be seen below:

If your type of content doesn’t cater to a list format, you could also try to compete for other types of featured snippets, such as the Definition Box. For example, you could use a long-tail keyword as a heading tag for SEO and answer the question directly below in a paragraph tag. Try to answer the question in about 40 to 50 words, ensuring your users can find what they’re looking for efficiently.

So, how do you optimise heading tags for SEO?

1. Use keywords in your headings

Even though headings aren’t a ranking factor on Google, optimising your titles and subtitles using key search terms helps Google to better understand what your page is about. Therefore, including keywords in a prominent position on the page, such as in your headings, means your content is more likely to appear in the SERP for relevant queries and outperform your competitors.

2. Don’t forget about long-tail keywords

Long-tail keywords are more specific search terms customers use, typically when they’re closer to a purchase. Plus, long-tail queries, particularly questions, are rising in line with voice search popularity. Therefore, you should utilise long-tail keywords or related questions to provide the most relevant and tailored content to the audience you’re trying to reach at a time when they’re closer to converting.

3. Make your heading big, bold and visible

Style your heading however you like to fit your brand in terms of colours or fonts. However, ensure that your headings are big, bold and noticeable to improve the navigation on your page for users.

4. Match user intent

Use a heading tag to describe your page's topic or piece of content in a way that means something to your target audience. Using a search intent-based keyword strategy ensures that your writing remains useful and relevant to the right audience at the right time.

5. Use headings to provide structure to your piece

Headings and subheadings are useful to structure your pieces, making your content easier to write and ultimately easier for your users to read. Plus, subheadings can aid navigation and make it easier for readers to skim content to find exactly what they want.

6. Make your headings engaging

Interesting and engaging headings on your page are important to encourage your audience to stay on your page longer. This benefits your SEO strategy as a lower bounce rate sends a quality signal to Google that your page contains relevant information and boosts your ranking on the SERP.

7. Make your content easier to read

If you are writing a longer piece of content, such as a blog post, using headings throughout the article will break up the text. This will mean that the content is more interesting and engaging for users than a blanket of words that look messy and hard to read.

8. Use one H1 per page

Using just one H1 per webpage ensures that your content remains focused and relevant on one particular topic, the topic or area you wish to rank for.

So, while using headings doesn’t directly influence your ranking on Google, the relationship between headings and SEO should not be underestimated. Specifically, using the correct SEO heading structure and optimising SEO heading tags to deliver a good user experience for your readers and potential customers is integral.

Hopefully, we’ve given you a better idea about why headings and subheadings are important for SEO and how you can use our best practices to improve your organic visibility. To learn more, discover how we helped our legal client increase search visibility using targeted optimisation, leading to a 54.87% increase in organic traffic.

We'd love to hear from you if you’re interested in growing your online presence through strategic SEO. Get in touch with our friendly team today!