September 8, 2023
What is a heading tag? A heading tag is a header on the page. Heading tags are meant to define the structure of the content on your website. This helps the visitor and the Googlebot better understand how the content of your page is structured. The result: better rankings! Let’s start by explaining more about how you can recognize heading
What is a heading tag?
A heading tag is a header on the page. Heading tags are meant to define the structure of the content on your website. This helps the visitor and the Googlebot better understand how the content of your page is structured. The result: better rankings! Let’s start by explaining more about how you can recognize heading tags!
Heading tags are extremely important for SEO for the visibility of your website in the Google search engine. In this guide, we’ll explain some more detailed information about heading tags. We’ll explain: what heading tags are, what their purpose is, what the difference is between a heading tag and a title tag, and what you should pay attention to when optimizing your page. Let’s take a closer look at it, in the following paragraphs.
The use of heading tags
We often see websites not implementing heading tags correctly. We have experienced a case, where a web page contained 77 different heading tags (or heading 1s). This is because of the CMS on which this website was running. By doing so, you are making it very hard for Google to figure out the structure of the page correctly. Which is something we obviously don’t want… So, to implement heading tags carefully and correctly, 3 areas are essential. These are structure, keywords, and over-optimization.
Ensure the right hierarchy
The main purpose of heading tags is to provide insight into the hierarchy of the page. Therefore, there is only one heading 1 tag on a web page. Sub-headings (of heading 2) may be about different subtopics, as long as they do not deviate from the main topic (heading 1).
Most pages consist of one heading 1 and several heading 2s.
- Heading 3 is created when you can tell a lot about a subtopic (for example, heading 2.
- Heading 3 would add context to heading 2.
There are some main rules for dealing with heading tags:
- Use a maximum of one heading 1 tag.
- Heading 2 should always add context to heading 1 and heading 3 should give context to heading 2 and so on.
- Heading 2’s are equivalent. That is, for example, a cost specification such as “what does service X cost per m2” and “what does service X cost” should not be considered equivalent.
Using the Right Keywords
After you have completed keyword research, it is key to properly feature these keywords in the heading tags. The short-tail variation from the keyword research is often the heading 1 on the page and therefore the focus keyword. However, the focus keyword is the keyword you want to rank well within Google.
The long-tail keyword (two or more words) is often a heading 2 or a heading 3, depending on the size of the text. Longtail keywords that people are searching for, but in a more minimal way like the focus keyword. Nevertheless, it can be very interesting for your business! After all, a longtail keyword says more about the searcher’s intent.
It is important not to overdo it.
Many companies are aware that Google considers the heading tag important. What people then tend to do a lot, is to name the keyword in each heading. This can be seen by Google as keyword-stuffing and does not appreciate the well-established business.
Calculating keyword intensity
To prevent keyword stuffing, it is important to calculate the keyword intensity in percentages. You can do this using tools. Another way to calculate this is to divide the total number of words by the number of times the keyword is named. A healthy keyword intensity is between 1 and 3%.
Let’s say, you’ve published a 1,000-word post. In this post, you mention the word “marketing agency London” 23 times. The formula is then as follows: 23/1000*100 = 2,3%. The keyword intensity in this case is good. There is no keyword stuffing.
Difference between heading tag and title tag
The heading tag is the title of the page or post. The heading tag is visible on the page or message. However, the title tag is not displayed on the web page. The title tag is the title that appears in Google’s search engine results about the page in question.
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SEO Specialist
Tiemen de Jonge is a seasoned SEO Specialist at Seeders Zwolle. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for optimizing online presence, Tiemen helps clients improve their search engine rankings and drive organic traffic to their websites. With years of experience in the digital marketing industry, Tiemen is dedicated to staying up-to-date on the latest SEO trends and techniques to deliver top-notch results for Seeders' clients.
