Headings are an essential part of every well-written piece of text. They make reading articles and webpages easier by breaking up the text and providing a preview of what the following section of text is going to be about. Not only are headings effective in helping readers navigate your writing, they could also help your SEO. Continue reading to find out how to effectively implement headings and subheadings for your website.
Headings for SEO
When crafting content for a webpage, you should use headings to help layout and display your content. The most important text on a webpage is the H1 header tag. It acts as the title of the webpage and is usually the largest text on the screen. It tells both the reader and search engines what the page is about. Generally, you only have about 10 seconds to convince a reader to stay on your webpage and a concise, prominent H1 header tag can help you achieve that. For subheadings (any heading other than the H1 header tag), you should use a hierarchical structure of header tags, beginning with H2 and followed by H3, H4, H5, and H6. The H2 header tag will visually make the text more visible and will help direct readers to the section of the webpage that interests them the most. The H2 header tag tells search engines that this text is an important section that supports the overall theme of the webpage. H3 header tags will be utilized on far fewer webpages, but can help separate ideas if needed. We don’t recommend using H4, H5 or H6 header tags unless you have a very specific need. Reusing H2 and H3 header tags as you work down a webpage is a much better route to go.
PRO TIP: There should only be one H1 tag per webpage. Using 2 or more H1 tags on a single webpage would be the equivalent of giving an article multiple titles. Doing so would confuse both the reader and search engines.
Example Page Layout with Headings
<h1> SEO Pro’s Guide to Headings for Websites</h1>
<h2>Headings for SEO</h2>
<h3>Example Page Layout with Headings</h3>
<h2>Headings and Text Structure</h2>
<h2>Wrap it up with Headings</h2>
Headings and Text Structure
From a readability standpoint, headings are extremely important. They help guide the reader through an article or a webpage by providing them insight into what the following paragraph(s) will be about. Without headings, all of the content on the page merges together and it is difficult for the reader to grasp the numerous ideas that the writer is trying to convey.
Think of headings as directions for the reader; headings help guide the reader where the writer wants them to go. Additionally, they allow the reader to find exactly what they are looking for. With properly written headings that provide context to the following paragraph, the reader will have a better understanding of if they want to continue in that direction, or change course.
PRO TIP: Use your keyword in all of your Headings. You should use your keyword in every heading on your webpage unless doing so would change the flow or readability of your content. Additionally, you will get a larger SEO bump if the keyword is at the beginning of the heading.
Wrap it up with Headings
In conclusion, headings are an integral part of every webpage. They are useful for both your reader and search engines. If you want people to stay on your page longer and search engines to rank your page higher, be sure to include them!
Learned all you need to know about Headings and want to learn more SEO from the experts? Check out our 2019 SEO Guide and improve your SEO knowledge across the board!
