SEO Term Definition
Heading Tags (H1–H6)
Heading tags (H1 through H6) are HTML elements that define the hierarchical structure of content on a page. H1 is the main title; H2–H6 are subheadings. They are important for SEO and accessibility.
Reviewed by Alexander Yarovenko · Updated: 2026-09-22
What are Heading Tags?
Heading tags (H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, H6) are HTML elements that create a hierarchical structure for web content. The H1 is the most important heading (typically the page title); H2s are major sections; H3s are subsections of H2s, and so on.
<h1>Complete Guide to On-Page SEO</h1>
<h2>What is On-Page SEO?</h2>
<h3>Title Tags</h3>
<h3>Meta Descriptions</h3>
<h2>On-Page SEO Best Practices</h2>SEO Importance
- H1 is a strong ranking signal — include the primary keyword; use only one H1 per page
- H2–H3 help Google understand content structure and topic coverage
- Headings are used for featured snippets — Google often extracts H2 content for People Also Ask answers
- Headings improve accessibility — screen readers use them to navigate
Best Practices
- One H1 per page — it defines the primary topic
- Use H2 for main sections, H3 for subsections — don't skip levels
- Include keywords naturally in headings — don't keyword-stuff
- Write headings as standalone signposts — users should understand the section from the heading alone
Editorial decision
Use headings to express document structure, not as a ranking formula or styling shortcut.
Validation
Check one descriptive H1, logical section order and rendered outline on representative live pages and record the result.