What Is an H1 Tag? Why It Matters & Best Practices for SEO

What Is an H1 Tag?

An H1 tag is the HTML utilized to make the main rubric connected a webpage and helps bespeak the page’s superior taxable to visitors and hunt engines. It contains an opening <h1> tag, the rubric text, and a closing </h1> tag. 

Here’s an illustration of an H1 tag successful HTML and connected the unrecorded page: 

H1 Tag Examples

To springiness you a amended thought of what an HTML H1 tag looks similar successful practice, let’s spot examples from antithetic websites. 

The H1 tag connected this Semrush Academy course is “SEO Principles: An Essential Guide for Beginners.” It’s concise, descriptive, and compelling. 

The H1 tag connected W3Schools’ tutorial astir HTML headings is “HTML Headings.” It’s simple, accurate, and matches the rubric of the page.

The H1 tag connected this TechCrunch nonfiction is “We tested Google’s Gemini chatbot—here’s however it performed.” It’s intriguing and tells the scholar precisely what they’ll find. 

How to Check H1 Tags connected a Webpage

It’s casual to look into the H1 tags connected your ain (or immoderate other) webpages without needing peculiar skills. 

Here are immoderate of the astir communal ways:

View the Page’s Source Code

Right-click anyplace connected a leafage and prime “View Page Source” oregon “Show Page Source” from the menu. 

This volition unfastened a caller tab with the page’s root code.

Now, you tin manually look for the <h1> tag. 

Or usage the “Command + F” shortcut connected Mac oregon “Ctrl + F” connected PC and benignant “h1.”

Use a Browser Extension

You tin instal a browser hold that volition item the H1 tags connected immoderate webpage you visit. 

For example, you tin usage the H-tag Chrome extension. Which volition item each the <h> tags connected a page.

Other, much analyzable extensions similar Detailed SEO Extension amusement tons of SEO-related insights specified as:

• Title tags (HTML that specifies webpage titles)
• Meta descriptions (HTML that provides leafage descriptions)
• Meta robots tags (HTML that tells hunt engines however to crawl, index, and show a page’s content)
• <h> tags

And more. 

Use a Website Audit Tool

You tin usage a website audit instrumentality that scans your website to place immoderate issues with your H1 tags. Such arsenic missing, duplicate, oregon bare tags. 

For example, Site Audit gives you accusation astir your H1 tags arsenic portion of a broad study connected your website’s wellness and performance.

H1 tags aren’t a confirmed ranking factor. But they’re inactive important for SEO. 

Here are the apical 3 reasons why: 

1. H1s Help Search Engines Understand Content

Search engines look astatine your H1s to larn astir your pages and their content. 

The much descriptive your H1, the better. 

The H1 successful this blog station from Chewy is simply a large illustration of a descriptive H1. 

It tells hunt engines precisely what they’ll find: The champion java shops with cats successful the United States. To guarantee they person an easier clip knowing what’s connected the page.

2. H1s Improve the User Experience

H1 tags amended the idiosyncratic acquisition (UX) by allowing readers to larn what your leafage is astir astatine a glance. Especially erstwhile you see astir websites show the H1 arsenic the largest substance connected the page.

And improving UX is fundamental. Google has emphasized it contributes to amended rankings. 

Not to mention:

A speedy browse of headings tin amusement readers what they’ll larn earlier they excavation in. That way, they tin pre-assess your content’s value. 

If you’ve done a bully job, your H1 volition supply hierarchy and reassure visitors that you person the accusation they’re looking for. 

Consider this image:

The illustration connected the near has nary wide operation and order. It’s truly hard to archer what the content’s about. 

The illustration connected the close shows the H1 arsenic the astir salient heading connected the page, past H2, past H3, etc. 

It’s casual to skim, follow, and understand. 

3. H1s Improve Accessibility

H1 tags (and different headings successful general) tin assistance those who usage surface readers recognize the page’s content. 

Screen readers are programs thatcommunicate machine substance with a code synthesizer oregon Braille display. 

Here’s an illustration of however the headings successful The Penn State University’s accessibility guidelines look connected a surface reader:

Image Source: The Penn State University

Quickly amended your site’s accessibility by crafting descriptive H1 tags and keeping an organized heading structure.

How to Add H1 Tags to Your Blog Pages

Adding an H1 tag to articles successful astir website contented absorption systems (CMSs) is easy. In fact, galore CMSs person a placeholder for your nonfiction rubric that’s automatically formatted to beryllium your H1. 

That said, here’s however to alteration your H1 tag utilizing WordPress, Squarespace, and Wix. 

Adding an H1 Tag successful WordPress

Most WordPress themes are coded truthful the station rubric is the H1.

To alteration this (or immoderate other) heading, click connected oregon item the substance you privation to reformat. A toolbar should look supra your selected block.

Like this:

Click connected the paragraph awesome recovered connected the left-hand broadside of that toolbar. 

Then, prime “Heading.”

Change your heading tag to H1 by selecting “H1.”

You’re each set. 

Adding an H1 Tag successful Squarespace

Adding an H1 to blog posts successful Squarespace is arsenic elemental arsenic filling retired the “post title” tract successful astir cases. 

If you privation to alteration the H1 tag for a page, commencement by selecting the substance you privation to alteration into an H1. 

Then, click connected the formatting fastener connected the left-hand broadside of your toolbar.

And prime “Heading 1.”

Like this:

And you’re done!

Adding an H1 Tag successful Wix

Wix besides automatically makes your blog station rubric the H1 tag. 

But dissimilar the different 2 CMSs connected this list, the H1 tag is lone an enactment for the station title. Meaning you can’t alteration immoderate different subheading to beryllium an H1.

H1 Tag Best Practices 

Here are six H1 tag champion practices you tin travel to amended your SEO.

1. Use a Single H1 Per Page

Using conscionable 1 H1 creates hierarchy and gives your leafage a much logical structure. 

It makes it casual for readers (and those utilizing surface readers) to skim and recognize what your leafage is about.

The H1 is for the headline conveying the main topic. The H2s are for important subheadings. The H3s are for subheadings that enactment those. And truthful on:

So, however galore H1 tags per page? 

Each leafage should person lone 1 main topic. And that should beryllium your lone H1.

2. Make Sure Every Important Page Has an H1

Considering that an H1 tag is the astir important heading, each important leafage should person one. 

Which pages are considered important? That’s up to you. But a bully spot to commencement is with immoderate leafage you privation to fertile connected Google. 

To find pages with missing oregon bare H1s:

1. Go to Site Audit
2. Enter your homepage URL and click “Start Audit”
3. Click connected the “Issues” tab
4. Type “h1” successful the hunt bar
5. Click connected the informing for pages that don’t person an H1

You’ll past spot a database of affected pages. Which you tin code by adding an H1 to each.

3. Include Your Target Keyword

Along with your rubric tag, Google scans contented similar your H1 to find whether it’s applicable to a searcher’s query.

In different words:

A leafage with an H1 that mentions the hunt word is apt to fertile amended for that query than a leafage with an H1 that doesn’t. 

We bash this for each our blog posts. 

Below, you tin spot however we included the keywords “title tags” and “alt text” successful 2 antithetic blog station H1s:

4. Keep H1 Tags Under 60 Characters

The clearer and much concise you marque your writing, the better. It’s nary antithetic for H1 tags oregon different headings. 

The champion signifier is to support it betwixt 50 and 60 characters—just similar your rubric tags. 

Why?

Many CMSs usage the aforesaid transcript for your H1 and rubric tag. Plus, Google occasionally switches rubric tags for H1 tags. And you don’t privation Google to truncate it successful the hunt results similar this:

So, there’s nary method bounds to the magnitude of an H1 tag. But your champion stake is to support it nether 60 characters.

5. Match Your H1s to Your Title Tags for Article Pages

A communal SEO mistake is to confuse the rubric tags added successful the <head> conception of your codification with H1 tags. Because some the rubric tag and H1 tag picture what a leafage is about. 

The main quality is where they appear. 

Title tags look astatine the apical of the browser tab. And whitethorn look connected hunt motor results pages (SERPs). Other than that, they’re not disposable connected the webpage.

Here’s an illustration of a rubric tag successful a browser tab and successful a SERP:

H1 tags are what users spot connected the page, often successful ample text. They usually don’t look connected SERPs if they disagree from the rubric tag. 

Here’s an H1 for 1 of our blog posts:

Google recommends matching your H1 tags to your rubric tags to forestall inaccurate nonfiction titles from showing up successful hunt results. 

If they are different, they should beryllium precise similar.

Like this:

Users volition consciousness deceived if they onshore connected your leafage and spot a wholly antithetic (and unrelated) H1. You don't privation that. 

6. Optimize Your H1 to Satisfy Search Intent 

Search intent is simply a user’s superior nonsubjective erstwhile searching for something. 

Your H1 should instantly archer the scholar that you’re going to fulfill their hunt intent. 

In different words: 

Your contented is going to springiness them what they want.

Satisfying intent is important due to the fact that it’s Google’s main goal. Which, makes it a superior extremity for you if you privation amended rankings. 

To find the hunt intent for a keyword, benignant it into Google and analyse what comes up. 

For example, the apical results for “content marketing” absorption connected explaining what contented selling is:

None of those articles are excessively successful depth. They besides aren’t selling anything. That tells america the hunt intent is informational, with articles written for radical who privation to larn something.

This means we request to constitute an H1 (and accompanying post) that satisfies that informational hunt intent.

An adjacent quicker mode to find hunt intent is with Keyword Overview.

Type successful your keyword and click “Search.”

This volition propulsion up accusation astir your chosen keyword, including its intent.

How to Run an H1 Tag Audit

To cheque your website for immoderate H1 tag errors, tally an audit. 

Open Site Audit. Then, paste successful your domain sanction and click “Start Audit.”

The instrumentality volition amusement a dashboard with your site’s wide health. 

Click connected the “Issues” tab to spot the database of problems.

In the hunt bar, benignant successful “h1.”

Now, you tin spot each pages that person H1 issues. Fix warnings first, past notices. 

We urge moving regular audits to notify you of immoderate caller issues that request your attention. 

To bash this, acceptable up a recurring report.

In the apical right-hand country of your Site Audit dashboard, click the cogwheel icon. 

Find “Schedule” by scrolling down done the settings.

Like this:

Next, you’ll spot a pop-up wherever you tin take however often to tally your report.

Set it to your preferred day. And marque definite to click connected the “Send an email” enactment astatine the bottommost of the pop-up. Then, click “Save.”

That way, you’ll beryllium capable to hole immoderate issues and support your SEO efforts moving smoothly.