# Headings (H1–H6)

Category: [On-Page & Content](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/on-page-content/) › [Headings, images & media](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/on-page-content/headings-images-media/) · Also known as: heading tags, H1 tag, header tags

**Headings (H1–H6)** are the HTML elements `<h1>` through `<h6>` that name and structure the sections of a web page. `<h1>` is the top level, `<h6>` the lowest. In SEO and accessibility, they tell search engines, screen readers, and readers what a page and each of its sections is about.

This entry covers headings as HTML structure. Writing good headlines is a separate topic.

## What do headings mean for SEO?

Google reads headings as part of the page content. Its SEO Starter Guide recommends breaking long content into sections with headings to help users navigate. The same guide addresses two common beliefs. Order doesn't matter for Google Search: "from Google Search perspective, it doesn't matter if you're using them out of order." There is also no ideal number of headings per page.

Headings can also influence how a result looks. Google lists heading elements such as `<h1>` among the sources it uses to generate title links, alongside the `<title>` element, the main visual title, and anchor text.

## Why does heading order still matter?

For people, the hierarchy matters. The W3C accessibility tutorials describe how browsers and assistive technologies use headings for in-page navigation. Screen reader users often jump from heading to heading to scan a page, and a missing level leaves them wondering what they skipped. MDN and W3C both advise against skipping levels, such as an `<h2>` followed directly by an `<h4>`.

## One H1 or several?

According to MDN, the HTML standard allows more than one `<h1>` per page, as long as they are not nested. MDN still recommends a single `<h1>` that describes the whole page, similar to the `<title>` element. Google's starter guide names no ideal number of headings and says nothing specific about multiple `<h1>` elements. One clear `<h1>` still makes the main topic obvious to readers and tools.

## Example

```html
<h1>Women's Trail Running Shoes</h1>
  <h2>Which sole for which terrain?</h2>
    <h3>Mud and forest trails</h3>
    <h3>Rock and loose gravel</h3>
  <h2>Finding the right size</h2>
```

The indentation is only for readability. Browsers derive the structure from the heading levels alone.

## Common mistakes

- **Headings for font size:** Using `<h3>` because the text should look bigger. MDN recommends CSS `font-size` for that.
- **Styled text without markup:** Bold paragraphs that look like headings but aren't heading elements. Screen readers don't announce them as sections.
- **Templates with headings for minor elements:** Footer labels or teasers marked up as `<h2>`, diluting the actual outline of the page.
- **Confusing H1 and title:** The `<title>` element sits in the `<head>` and isn't visible on the page; the `<h1>` is. Both can feed into the title link Google shows.

## FAQ

**Does the keyword need to be in the H1?**
There is no such rule from Google. Its starter guide advises thinking about the words users might search for. A heading that names the page topic usually contains the main term anyway.

**What is the difference between a heading tag and a title tag?**
The title tag defines the page name for browser tabs and search results. Heading tags structure the visible content on the page.

## At a glance

- **Type:** HTML elements <h1> to <h6>
- **Affects:** page structure for readers, screen readers and search engines
- **Order:** doesn't matter for Google Search, matters for screen readers
- **Number:** no ideal number, according to Google
- **Specification:** [HTML Living Standard (WHATWG)](https://html.spec.whatwg.org/multipage/sections.html#the-h1,-h2,-h3,-h4,-h5,-and-h6-elements)
- **Docs:** [Google: SEO Starter Guide](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide)

Last checked: October 8, 2026

## Related terms

- [Title tag](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/title-tag/index.md)
- [Title links](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/title-links/index.md)
- [Web accessibility](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/web-accessibility/index.md)
- [ARIA attributes](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/aria-attributes/index.md)

## Sources

- [<h1>–<h6>: The HTML Section Heading elements – MDN Web Docs](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Reference/Elements/Heading_Elements)
- [SEO Starter Guide – Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide)
- [Influencing your title links in search results – Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/title-link)
- [Headings – Web Accessibility Tutorials, W3C WAI](https://www.w3.org/WAI/tutorials/page-structure/headings/)

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Last updated: October 8, 2026
URL: https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/headings/