Header Tags

When blogging, you need to know how to structure your posts to rank for search engines.

And bolding words and phrases won’t help you rank on search engine results pages (SERPs).

Instead, use headers, also known as heading tags.

These help optimise your blog and make your blog posts look professional.

In this article we will learn:

• What headers are
• Why they are important for comprehension and SEO

Let’s dive right in.

Header tags

Header tags are used to separate headings and subheadings based on importance on a web page.

Header tags go from H1 to H6.

And H1 headers are used for the main title of the web page.

They are also used to help:

• Improve a web page’s readability
• Improve the SEO of a webpage

They following guide will list each header tag and what it’s used for:

• H1: The post title, keyword-centric, based on the post’s topic and grabs the reader’s attention
• H2: Subheaders on the main points of your paragraphs, semantic keywords related to the topic in your H1 and helps readers find sections they want to read
• H3: Subsections that clear points made in your H2s and used to format lists or bullet points
• H4: Subsections that clear points made in your H3s and used to format lists or bullet points

The “H” in H1s to H6s mean “heading element”, but are called “header tags”.

And the numbers mean the importance between each one.

With H1 being the most important and H6 being the least.

H1 tags

A H1 heading tag in a page or post is:

• The first
• Most important
• The page or post’s title

Header tags are more than stylistic elements of your page or post.

They are part of the structure, like the title of a book.

Like a book, there should be one title for your page or post. 

H1 tags are:

• At the top of your page before your content
• Coded as the H1 for the page using HTML

But, other heading tags also help with the structure of your page or post.

Header tags supported by HTML

You can structure your page or posts using up to six header tags (H1-H6) with HTML.

You can:

• Style all your header tags, except the H1
• Have as many header tags as you want, on your page or post

Your header tags should reflect the theme of your content.

They are used to help both readers and search engines to:

• Find the main points your content
• Go through the content on your page or post

So, use your best judgement when it comes to using head tags to:

• Formatting your content
• Breaking up your content into sections

Note: Make every header tag look visually different with a new idea on each.

Header Tags and SEO

Header tags give your content structure and highlights it’s important:

• Ideas
• Themes
• Keywords

And because of this, header tags help with:

• Keyword relevancy
• Readability

Search engines like Google find content for searchers by crawling web pages and analysing:

• Text
• Images

Plus other elements to know what the page is about.

So, by using a header tag:

• You tell search engines like Google the header is important
• Which determines the page’s context
• Then helps Google show results relevant to searchers’ queries

That’s why when using header tags, make sure they match a keyword intent.

Because search engines like Google struggle to understand what a page is about if:

• Your post doesn’t have a keyword in the H1 tag
• your H2 and H3 tags contain irrelevant text

And, this page will also struggle to rank well. 

So, include your keyword in your H1 tag, to tell Google how to send searchers to your post.

And keep your other header tags keyword-centric because search engines also look at header tags in your post.

For example, it’s good to create some H2 sections around popular long-tail keywords related to your post topic.

And if you struggle to think of keywords by yourself:

• Do keyword research
• Use keyword research tools like SEMRush or Ahrefs

Just remember to keep your header tags are friendly for:

• Searchers
• Search engines

Benefits of using headers also includes:

• Making pages easier to read
• Sectioning off your content to keep information organised
• Helping readers find information they’re looking for
• Helping search engines scan your content

Because if your content sections don’t make sense, your page will not rank well.

Adding Header Tags in HTML

To add header tags in HTML, do the following:

For a H1 tag:

• Type <h1> and </h1>
• Put the H1 text between those tags

And, use this method for all types of header tag, from H1 to H6.

Note: Use this method if you work with HTML4 and older.

Working with HTML5 requires a different line for the same result.

Do this by simply adding <header> tag before <h1> and after the </h1> tags.

This tells Google what the H1 is.

You can also include punctuation between the two tags.

Remember to check your headers in HTML and make sure they are formatted right.

Because Google scans the HTML of header tags to tell searchers what your page is about.

Some blogging platforms, like WordPress, give toolbar options to create header tags, so when you add one, you don’t have to go into the HTML again.

Conclusion

So when you next create a post for your website:

• See how adding header tags affects SEO
• How your readers better understand your content

And get feedback from a close family member who doesn’t know about blogging.

See if they understand your writing before you publish.

This will help you format your posts better and make them understandable.

Don’t forget using headers helps with:

• Readability for visitors
• Crawlability for search engines

And even improvements in:

• Search engine rankings
• Traffic
• Visitors time on page