With the increasing popularity of modern SEO strategies like featured snippets and voice search, optimizing H1 and H2 tags has become more important than ever.
The development of Google AI Overviews and other generative AI content also takes these headings and subheadings into account.
In this blog, Monique De Leon, Associate Director of SEO, will go over how to use H1 and H2 tags to help you get the most from these SEO elements.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why are Headers Important?
- Tools and Resources for Optimizing H1 and H2 Tags
- Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
- FAQs
My Expert Opinion on H1 and H2 Tags
There are many components of content that factor into good search engine optimization, but one that many overlook is the use of H1 and H2 headings and subheadings.
Optimizing H1 and H2 SEO with the right keywords and phrases can not only help break up your text to make it more readable, but it can also both directly and indirectly boost your rankings.
The right approach here is to use plenty of popular long-tail keywords that people are likely to enter on search engines, ones that appeal to preview results like featured snippets and AI Overviews. Also, know how to properly organize the hierarchy of your H1s, H2s, and other subheadings for even better optimization.
What is a Header Tag?
Readers prefer to scan content to get an idea of what a section of text is about. Header tags can help them do that.
In the simplest terms, header tags are HTML elements that are used to define the headings of a web page.
They act as signposts for the readers, communicating which parts of your content are important and how they’re interconnected.
H1 vs. H2: What’s the Difference?
Two of the most important header tags you’ll want to use are H1s and H2s. Knowing the difference between H1 vs. H2 tags can help you determine which to use and when.
H1 Headings
So, what is H1 on websites? H1, short for Heading 1, is essentially the title of the entire web page and its contents. It’s the headline you see on a news article for instance, leading you into the content below.
The H1 goes at the top of the page and is, in some cases, what shows up in Google search results in place of a meta title tag.
All other subheadings will go below this heading throughout the content.
H2s support the main idea expressed in the H1. For example, they could cover various subtopics branching from that main topic, much like how we use them in this blog post. They can also lead into additional subsections, which you can break up using H3s, H4s under those, and so on.
However, H2s aren’t relegated to breaking up content. For instance, on ecommerce product category pages, H2s or H3s could list various subcategories for products.
Why are Headers Important?
How important is heading structure for Google best practices and other guidelines? Let’s take a look.
Headings are important for a variety of different reasons. For one, they help organize information on a page and ensure that topics and subtopics are highlighted in a particular order.
Second, an HTML header tag can improve accessibility for those who can’t easily read screens. Visually impaired readers may use a screen reader to listen to the headings on a page and determine if they want to continue reading. This, in turn, can help you comply with current WCAG accessibility guidelines.
Plus, when it comes to heading tags, SEO can be impacted if your headings aren’t used properly on your page or site. While page titles are what appear in Google search results, header tags are what matter most to SEO as search engines examine headings for keywords used in a search query.
Ultimately, header tags can help websites adhere to Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines for creating high-value content. Google favors content that demonstrates Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness. Not only can rich content with organized H1s and H2s indicate these through keyword usage, but the more time people spend on your page, the more this signals E-E-A-T to Google.
For example, you might have an extensive blog post talking about “How to Find the Right Physician for Your Family,” which uses that or something similar as the H1, followed by informative supporting H2s like “Qualifications to Look for in a Family Practitioner” or “Tips to Finding a New Primary Care Physician,” with H3s under the latter going over specific tips for finding a good family doctor.
How to Use H1 and H2 Tags Effectively
Optimizing H1 and H2 for SEO and readability entails the following basic guidelines:
- Conduct keyword research to find a central keyword to optimize for your H1 and supporting keywords for H2s.
- Start outlining your content by creating your H1 based on the overarching keyword and theme you want to use. For example, in a blog post on how to make the perfect cannoli filling, your H1 might be just that: “How to Make the Perfect Cannoli Filling” or “The Best Cannoli Filling Recipe,” depending on which keyword is best. In your site’s code, this H1 would be between “<h1>” and “</h1>” tags at the top of the page and look like: <h1>The Best Cannoli Filling Recipe</h1>.
- Once you’ve decided on a title, you can determine which H2s to use to break up your content. For example, in that cannoli filling recipe blog post, each H2 would cover different aspects of the recipe, such as “What Is Cannoli Filling?,” “Ingredients for Cannoli Filling,” and “Steps for Making Cannoli Filling.” All of these would go between “<h2>” and “</h2>” tags in the page’s code.
Write your content using this outline, potentially adding H3s, H4s, H5s, or other header tags to add subsections within subsections. Take that cannoli filling recipe blog for example; you might use H3s under the “Ingredients for Cannoli Filling” H2 listing the various ingredients. - Just be sure not to overdo it with H2s. While some long-form content like pillar pages or category pages may warrant as many as dozens of H2s, you may find that some topics deserve their own separate pages as H1s.
Just be sure not to overdo it with H2s. While some long-form content like pillar pages or category pages may warrant as many as dozens of H2s, you may find that some topics deserve their own separate pages as H1s.
How Many H2 Headings Per Site and Page Are Needed?
When it comes to how many H2 headings per site to implement, the answer is site-wide. Any page that can benefit from broken-up content should use H2s to separate sections, from main web pages and blog posts to product and service category pages.
On each page, the number of H2s you use will largely depend on the length of the content. Remember, you want to balance readability with good SEO.
A good rule of thumb here is to use about two to three H2s per 500 words. So, let’s say you have a 1,000-word blog post about “A Guide to Buying Used Cars,” in which case you might include H2s to introduce the topic (“When to Buy a Used Car”), discuss why you should buy a used car (“Key Benefits of Buying a Used Car”), go over how to buy a used car (“What to Look for in a Used Car”), and a concluding H2 (“Shop Like-New Used Cars at [Dealership Name]”).
Of course, this structure might work differently on something like a category page for an ecommerce website. For example, you might have a main product category page for winter clothing, using “Winter Clothing” as the H1, with subcategory pages listed below as H2s, like “Vests,” “Bomber Jackets,” “Windbreakers,” etc.
How Many Words Should H2 Headings Be?
So, how many words should H2 headings be, exactly? While there isn’t a strict rule for how long H2s need to be, they should ideally be relatively concise and get your point across in as few words as possible.
Generally, it’s good to use around three to eight words in your H2s, which should incorporate the keywords you want to target while keeping them readable.
Include the base term you want to target and determine whether that’s sufficient or if adding any words would bring more value to it. If it’s fine as is, leave it be.
Tools and Resources for Optimizing H1 and H2 Tags
To help you achieve the best results with your H1 and H2 tags, there are some tools available to use, such as:
One way to optimize your H1s and H2s is to use H1 generator and markup tools that help you produce readable and keyword-optimized H1s that really work.
Quattr
For instance, you can use Quattr’s free H1 Heading Generator tool to produce a number of H1s based on the topics and subtopics that you input into the tool.
SEOptimizer
You can also use an H1 markup tool to confirm whether your web pages actually utilize H1s or if there’s an issue with your markup.
One such tool is SEOptimer’s free H1 Checker, which allows you to enter the URL of a specific page to see whether it has an H1.
Regular Header Tag Audits
You can also use various SEO crawlers to check your H1 and H2 tags on all pages. These tools, like Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, and Google Search Console, can go through your entire website and list all included, duplicate, missing, or overly long H1s and H2s.
For example, Screaming Frog lists them all in designated tabs with the ability to filter them to easily identify any issues.
Regularly running your website through these tools can help ensure you’re not overlooking any problems with your header tags.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
There are a couple of critical mistakes that people can make when writing and optimizing header tags, including:
- Overstuffing with keywords: While H1s and H2s should have some keywords to help with optimization, don’t overload them with keywords. Unnaturally incorporating keywords into any of your content can do more harm than good, coming across as spammy to both search engines and users.
- Using multiple <h1> tags: You might also inadvertently include more than one H1 tag, as mentioned above. Doing so could cause some cannibalization as search engines can’t decide which is the primary heading vs. subheading.
- Missing <h1> tags: In some instances, web developers and designers may neglect to use the proper tags, in which case search engines might not be able to identify a designated H1.
To avoid these issues and keep your header tags in good shape, take the following steps:
- Use one designated H1 for your main title.
- Organize subsections with H2s at the top, adding H3s and lower as you get into tertiary sections beneath them.
- Include a relevant keyword in each header tag, but avoid overstuffing to the point of poor optimization and readability.
- Keep your headings and subheadings between three and eight words to ensure both optimization and ease of reading.
- Include around two to three subheadings for every 500 words to break up your content without going overboard.
- Regularly audit your header tags to confirm proper implementation.
- Consider refreshing H1s and H2s with trending keywords to boost performance over time.
FAQs
1. How many H2 headings should I use on a page?
The longer your content, the more H2s you can include, but make sure they’re relevant and make the content more readable rather than less so. If you have a blog post of about 500 words, for instance, you may only need two or three, while a long pillar page might call for dozens.
2. What is the difference between H1 and H2 tags?
H1 tags are the main headers of web pages, functioning as the title that gives a brief overview of the base topic. Meanwhile, H2s are subsections that support that main topic, covering different aspects of it to paint a fuller picture.
3. Are H1 and H2 tags still important for SEO in 2025?
Yes, absolutely. Both of these tags and other header tags still indicate to search engines what content is worth ranking. They can also now feed into generative AI content like Google’s AI Overviews at the top of search results.
Fully Optimize Your H1 and H2 Tags With Ignite Visibility
Want to create high-quality content that properly integrates optimized H1s and H2s? Consider working with the experts at Ignite Visibility for help with these and many other aspects of content marketing and SEO.
We’ll help you with:
- Keyword research to help optimize your content
- Deciding on compelling H1s to cover all main topics, from your website’s main pages to regular blog posts
- Outlining content with corresponding supporting H2s, H3s, and other subheadings
- Writing high-quality content that’s both well-optimized and readable, turning leads into customers
- And more!
Contact us today to discover what all we can do for you!
What it Looks Like in Practice:
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Wrapping Up
The proper use of header tags helps enhance the user experience, improves your content’s readability and accessibility, and can boost your rankings in search engines.
So, be sure to add HTML header tags to your content wherever you can.
The better you structure your content, the better results your business will achieve online!
