In SEO, as in life, we sometimes have a tendency to over-complicate things. Even when you’re just learning about SEO, it’s easy to get wrapped up in complex theories. But while you’re investigating things like how Google values social media, also be prepared to grab some of the low-hanging fruit.
Getting your header tags right is easy, and it can have a major impact on your overall efforts.
What are Header Tags?
HTML Header tags are used to differentiate headings and subheadings from the rest of the content on a page. They are styled differently from the other content, so they grab the reader’s attention. The tags also work as a sign to tell Google that the text within is a headline or sub-headline.
From an SEO perspective, the headings help Google grasp the main topics of an article. The more Google understands what a post is about, the better chance it has of ranking high in search results for targeted key phrases.
There are six HTML header tags, but most people do not use them all. If you have ever viewed the source code for a site, you may have seen that they look like this <H1>, <H2>, <H3>, etc.
How to Use Header Tags
Most webpages use headlines and sub-headlines to separate content. If the page has been SEO optimized, these headlines make use of header tags.
When you’re writing your own headlines, keep the headline text in between two header tags. Anything you put between the header tags will be considered part of your headline or sub-headline.
A headline may look something like this:
<H1>This is My Headline</H1>
<H2>This is My Sub-Headline</H2>
Header Tag Hierarchy
Header tags follow a natural progression. <H1> is the first and most important tag. The tags that follow are <H2> through <H6>, with <H6> being the least important. There’s no need to use all of them. In fact, many websites only use the first two or three.
In addition to communicating importance to Google, the various H-tags may be styled in different ways. Being the most important, the <H1> tag will likely have the largest font with bold styling. The remaining tags may get progressively smaller.
Header Tag Hierarchy
Header tags follow a natural progression. <H1> is the first and most important tag. The tags that follow are <H2> through <H6>, with <H6> being the least important. There’s no need to use all of them. In fact, many websites only use the first two or three.
The various H-tags are usually styled in different ways. Being the most important, the <H1> tag will likely have the largest font with bold styling. The remaining tags may get progressively smaller.
Hierarchy for SEO
Header tags are often incorrectly used for styling alone. And while styling is important, it’s crucial to organize your header tags in a way that makes sense to the search engines. To do this, follow these guidelines:
- <H1> is used for your page’s title and only your title, and should be used only once per page
- <H2> is a sub-headline that supports your title and you can have as many as you need.
- <H3> is a sub-headline that supports the <H2>
- <H4> is deeper-level sub-headline that supports the <H3>
In practice, it may look something like this:
<H1>10 Best Excuses for Being Late</H1>
<H2>Excuse #1: My car broke down</H2>
<H3>I had a flat tire</H3>
<H4>All about nail punctures</H4>
<H4>All about low air pressure</H4>
<H3>I had a dead battery<H3>
SEO Best Practices
Again, it’s best not to overcomplicate things here. There are two very simple rules to follow when optimizing header tags.
- Write headlines and sub-headlines that make sense for the article – Whenever you’re writing for SEO, it’s important to keep the reader in mind. Google likes to see content that is well-written and flows naturally. Your headlines should follow the same flow as your article. Use them to call attention to your content.
- Use your target keyword at least once – There’s no need to use your target keyword in every single header tag. This is a mistake that many people make, and it usually goes against the first rule above. Mentioning a keyword once in your header tags is enough to let the search engines know what your page is about. You can mention it in headers more often if it helps with clarity, but it’s not necessary for SEO.
Now that you have a better understanding of header tags, it’s time to optimize your website. Although it’s a simple thing, it’s important enough that you’ll want to spend the time and effort necessary to ensure all pages are making good use of header tags.
