Why use headings?
Use headings to show text structure
Headings are signposts that guide readers through an article. Because people tend to read them carefully, they should indicate what a section or paragraph is about, or people wonât know what to expect. Also, headings may help them get back on track if they get lost.
For web copy, itâs good practice to make sure that your headings are informative to the reader. Some people like to tease their audience in the headings, trying to entice them to read further. While that can work very well, itâs easy to get wrong. Remember that the main focus of headings should be on the content â and the main purpose should be to make the text easier to read and understand.
Read more: Why text structure is important for SEO »
Use headings to improve accessibility
Heading structure is important for accessibility as well, especially for people who canât easily read from a screen. Because headings are in HTML, a screen reader can understand the article structure and read them out loud.
By reading or listening to the headings in an article, visually impaired people can decide whether or not to read an article. Screen readers also offer shortcuts to jump from one heading to the next, so they are used for navigation as well.
Donât forget that, in many cases, whatâs good for accessibility is also good for SEO!
Read more: 5 easy accessibility improvements »
Use headings to improve SEO
Itâs generally agreed that how you use headings doesnât specifically impact your SEO; making minor tweaks to individual headings likely wonât help your performance. There are indirect benefits, though. Using headings creates better quality, more easily readable text. Better text is better for users, which is better for your SEO.
And headings give you a great chance to use your focus keyword (or its synonyms) prominently, to make it really clear what the page is about. But itâs important not to over-do it. It shouldnât feel unnatural or weird, and if it does, thatâs probably because youâre trying too hard, or over-optimizing.
So with headings, you should always put the user first. Use them to add structure and signposts to your content, and to describe what each section is about. If your headings let users know what your article is about, theyâll help Google to understand, too.
How to use headings in content
How headings work
NOTE: There are two different sets of ârulesâ when it comes to how to use HTML heading tags; the âclassicâ approach (from the HTML4 standard), and, the âmodernâ approach (from the HTML5 standard). Weâre going to focus on the classic approach, as there are some usability and SEO challenges with the modern approach (you can read more about that here).
When youâre editing an article, youâll usually see different âlevelsâ of headings in the text editor â from âHeading 1â to âHeading 6â. These are ordered by size, and by importance. A âHeading 2â is more important than a âHeading 4â.
Behind the scenes, these are converted into HTML heading tags; from `<h1>` to `<h6>`. Your theme probably uses these HTML tags in its templates, too.
Thatâs why, when we talk about how to structure headings and content well, we talk about âH1â tags, âH2â tags, and so on. Weâre referring to the underlying HTML code.
Learning the rules
Your H1 isnât the same thing as your page title. For more information, you can read about the difference between and H1 and the SEO title.
Firstly, you should use only one H1 heading on each page. The H1 heading should be the name/title of the page or post. You can think of your H1 like you would think of the name of a book. On a category page, your H1 would be the name of that category. On a product page, it should be the product name.
Then, as you write your content, you can use H2 and H3 headings to introduce different sections â like the âLearning the rulesâ section which youâre currently reading, which sits within the âHow to use headings in contentâ section. Think of H2 headings like the chapters of a book. Those individual sections might also use more specific headers (h3 tags, then H4 tags, etc) to introduce sub-sections.
Itâs rare for most content to get âdeepâ enough to need to use H4 tags and beyond unless youâre writing really long, or really technical content.
An example heading structure
Letâs say that we have a blog post about ballet shoes. Weâve chosen âballet shoesâ as our focus keyword, and written an article about all of the reasons why we like ballet shoes.
Without headings, thereâs a risk that we might end up writing a really long, rambling piece that is hard to understand.
But if we structure things logically using headings, we not only make it easier to read, we help focus our writing.
Hereâs what the structure of that post might look like:
- H1: Ballet shoes are awesome
- H2: Why we think ballet shoes are awesome
- H3: They donât just come in pink!
- H3: Theyâre good for more than just dancing
- H3: Theyâre not as expensive as you think
- H2: Where should you buy your ballet shoes?
- H3: The 10 best ballet equipment websites
- H3: Our favorite local dancing shops
- H2: Why we think ballet shoes are awesome
See how weâve created a logical structure, using H2 tags to plan out sections, and H3 tags to cover specific topics? Youâll see that weâve done the same thing in the post youâre reading, too!
Weâve also tried to mention our focus keyword â as well as some related terms â a few times (but only when it makes sense), and to outline the structure of the page. Weâve also tried to promise the reader something in each section, to encourage them to read through.
This is a good example of how your headings should be structured in a medium-length article. For a shorter article, you should use fewer (or more general, high-level) headings. If you want to go into much more detail, thereâs nothing stopping you from using H4 tags to create even âlower-levelâ sections!
Headings in themes
Most themes will use headings as part of their HTML code, but some donât follow best practices.
Almost all themes will automatically use the name of your article in an H1 tag. This is helpful because it means you donât need to repeat the post name inside your content.
Unfortunately, some themes use tags incorrectly â they use tags in an illogical order (e.g., an H4 then an H2), or use tags messily in sidebars, headers, and footers. This can cause problems for accessibility, as the order of your headings might not make sense. Users, search engines and assistive technologies usually look at the whole page, not just your content area.
If you have a custom theme, you might be able to fix this by adjusting your HTML code. If youâre using an off-the-shelf theme, you may need to reach out to the developers.
Either way, you should check that your headings make sense on each template type!
Check your blogâs headings
Using headings well is helpful for your users, increases the chances of people actually reading your article, improves accessibility and might even contribute to SEO. So add them into your copy â just make sure you use them correctly! If you want to check if you do, go and use them now to check your blogâs outline. And when youâve read and understood all the above, you should now be able to determine whether your theme is doing a good job.