Creating the Perfect Header Tags for SEO | H1-H6
Like the other onpage factors, header tags have an important role in optimizing your page for the search engines. While title tags need to be very straightforward and precise, you have more flexibility for your htags. But get the most value out of htags for SEO purposes, you need to create them in a particular way. Here are the best practices you want to follow for proper optimization.
1. Craft Header Tags for Users
Yes, you’ll want to ensure your main keyword in the h1 tag. It communicates to the search engines that the page is about the keyword and also tells users that your page is relevant for what they searched for. However, you need to ensure that you primarily focus on writing for the user.
Your h1 tag will most likely be your opening headline. That’s why you need to use it to grab the attention of the reader and draw him in to the rest of your page. Try to avoid headers that are over-optimized. Think of it as a block of text you want to use to sell the reader into reading the rest of your content.
2. Use Headers to Organize and Break Up Content
Users on the Internet do not read word for word. They scan content. That’s why you need to use headers in your content to break up your content. Without the use of headers, it will look like one large chunk of text to your readers. Every time you use headers, you want to write it in a way that makes the reader want to continue reading.
You also want to use headers to organize your content into different sections. For example, a how to article about adopting a dog can be broken down into multiple sections from medical care, diet, pet supplies, to training. This allows readers to follow the pace of your content, absorb the material, and gain value from consuming it.
3. Use Only One H1 Tag
It’s been said that you can use multiple h1 tags on a single page. While that is true, it’s a better idea to only use one h1 tag and use multiples of other htags. This allows you to focus your main keyword on the most prominent header. It also makes it easier to understand. Using only one h1 tag keeps thing analyze when you go back to evaluate your onpage factors.
4. Use Headers in Numbered Order
Sometimes you see website owners using h4 tags on the second heading and h2 tags on the third heading. This is a mistake because Google snippets can display text from your website from the higher tier header. So if the fourth section of your website uses an h1 tag, that may show up instead of the top section which uses an h3 tag. Keep your headers numbered for this reason. At the same time, you can use multiple h2 or h3 tags as long as there’s only one h1 tag used at the top.
5. Use Headers to Highlight Target Keywords
Your keywords do not need to be limited to the h1 tag. When using htags for SEO, you want to use secondary keywords for the h2 tags, h3 tags, and so forth. This allows the search engines to get a general overview of what your page’s topic is about. It also helps the reader get a better understanding of the ideas and topics they can expect. At the same time, make sure that they are used because of relevance or it will look over-optimized.
6. Use Typography That's Appealing
One thing you’ll realize about header text is that they don’t look good on a page. That’s why you want to change how they look through the use of CSS. You can change everything from the margin, centering, size, style, and font. This will keep your header text looking presentable and consistent, especially if you plan on using multiple header tags for SEO.
These are the best practices you want to follow when using header tags for SEO. Headers are often overlooked by website owners when it comes to onpage optimization. Much of the focus usually goes to the title tag. It’s important to remember that your header tags are not just for the search engine spiders. They are also mean to attract readers and guide them through your content.
