H1 Tags: What Are They and How Do They Help SEO?

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a series of best practices designed to bring targeted traffic from a search engine like Google to a website. SEO algorithms are complex and somewhat mysterious, but through trial and error – and through insights from the search engines themselves – it is possible to determine the factors that have the greatest positive influence. One of these factors is the all-important H1 tag. What is the H1 tag, and why do website designers, writers, and digital marketing firms like GYBO Marketing put so much thought and effort into getting it just right? Learn more about crafting the perfect H1 tag to improve your website’s visibility.

What Is the H1 Tag?

An H1 tag is a heading written in Hypertext Markup Language, which is more commonly known as HTML. It serves one primary purpose: marking up the main subject of a webpage. For example, if a web page intends to provide the reader with instructions about making pepperoni pizza, the H1 tag might be “How to Make Pepperoni Pizza.” In the webpage’s code, it would be written as <h1>How to Make Pepperoni Pizza</h1>.

Where the H1 Tag Belongs

Now that you know what the H1 tag is, it’s also important to understand where it belongs on the page. In almost every conceivable situation, the H1 should always be placed at the top of the page. Whether you hire a digital marketing company to design your website or you choose to use a website building platform, the H1 will always be one of the most visually striking elements on the page.

What’s the Difference between a Title Tag and an H1?

Both the title tag and the H1 are headings that describe the content found on a specific webpage, but they are formatted differently in HTML because they serve very different purposes. A title tag specifies the topic or subject of a webpage just like an H1, but it is visible only in the “snippet” on the search engine results page. It gives both the reader and the search engine a summary of the content contained on that page. The H1 is visible on the actual webpage rather than in the search engine results page snippet. In 99% of situations, the title tag and the H1 should be the same phrase, and the phrase should accurately identify the purpose of the webpage. The only difference between the two is the formatting. If the H1 is <h1>How to Make Pepperoni Pizza</h1>, then the title tag would read <title>How to Make Pepperoni Pizza</title>. This ensures the same phrasing is available from the search engine results page and the webpage itself.

Why H1 Tags are Important for SEO

Understanding what the H1 tag is can help you better understand why it is such an important part of an SEO strategy for every single webpage on a site. There are five key benefits associated with ensuring that every page contains a relevant H1.   

• • Ranking:

    The H1 is a major ranking factor for search engines. When someone types a phrase into the Google search bar, Google uses the H1 as a sort of index to help it determine which pages may satisfy the needs of that user’s search. Pages with H1 tags that are well written, accurately formatted, and relevant to the content on the page will automatically rank higher in the search results.

 

• • Crawlability:

    Search engines “crawl” millions of webpages every time a user conducts a search. Because the H1 serves as the top heading, it helps the crawler determine the hierarchy of content within a website and allows the delivery of more relevant results.

 

• • SEO Topic Definition:

    Search engine users and the search engines themselves rely on the H1 to tell them what a page is about. As such, the H1 serves as the foundation for the SEO on the page. 

 

• • Reduced Bounce Rates:

    When a user clicks on a search result but immediately leaves the page because the content isn’t relevant to the search, it is called a “bounce.” A high bounce rate is detrimental to your overall SEO, so it’s important to reduce it as much as possible. A well-constructed H1 tag is one of the best tools in your arsenal because it shows the reader exactly what the page covers. When it matches the title tag that is visible in the results page snippet, bounces are reduced even further.

 

• Accessibility:

  In recent years, search engines have begun incorporating accessibility into their SEO algorithms, especially as it applies to visual impairment. Screen reading software focuses heavily on H1 tags because they define the content on the page. A great H1 tag makes your website more accessible, which further improves your SEO.

Can I Have Multiple H1 Tags on a Page?

HTML has evolved over the years. Up until about 2014, web designers and website building platforms relied on HTML4, but in recent years, HTML5 has become the go-to. This new and improved version of HTML was created by the World Wide Web Consortium, and it was designed to work in harmony with Cascading Style Sheets, which is more commonly known as CSS. This synchronization changes how search engines determine the overall function and style of a webpage. As a result of these changes, some SEO specialists contend that multiple H1 tags can serve some important benefits. Others still argue that multiple H1s only confuse the search engine, which can no longer accurately determine the hierarchy of information contained within a site. However, according to a YouTube video posted in 2020 by Google Search Central, multiple H1s do not cause problems for Google’s systems. Multiple H1s may benefit long, highly informational webpages, but most of the time, a single H1 is ideal.

Crafting H1 Tags

Now that you have a solid understanding of what the H1 tag is, it’s important to learn some best practices for constructing your H1 tags. As you’ve already learned, the H1 tag and title tag for any given page should be identical. Aside from this, there are a few other things to keep in mind.

Should Every Page Have an H1?

Ideally, Every page on your website should have a clear H1 tag that indicates the overall context and topic of that page. For example, some additional H1s that might be found on a website dedicated to pepperoni pizza may include: <h1>How to Make Pizza Dough</h1> <h1>How to Buy the Best Pepperoni for Pizza</h1> <h1>Best Practices for Baking Pepperoni Pizza</h1> <h1>Is it Hard to Make Pepperoni From Scratch?</h1> Each of these H1 tags represents its own page within a website, and each page focuses on a unique topic that makes it easier for crawlers (and visitors!) to find the information they need.

Include the Main Keyword

Keywords remain one of the most important concepts in SEO. Every single page on your website should have at least one main keyword and a couple of secondary keywords, and both should be completely relevant to the content on the page. In some situations, the keyword can be the entirety of the H1, such as <h1>How to Make Pepperoni Pizza</h1>. In other situations, the keyword may be included in the H1. If the target keyword is “best pepperoni,” the H1 </h1>How to Buy the Best Pepperoni for Pizza</h1> is an excellent choice.

Other Best Practices for H1 Tags

Aside from incorporating the main keyword for the page and using an H1 for every main page on your website, the experts at GYBO Marketing use a few other best practices when crafting H1s. 

• • Use Title Case:

    This simply means that all words that are four letters or longer should be capitalized. This keeps things looking tidy and professional in the search results and on the page. 

 

• • Keep H1s Short and Concise:

    H1 tags should be about 60 characters long. Though the entire H1 will be visible on the webpage itself, it is truncated on the search results page. This can increase bounce rates and harm your overall SEO.  

 

• • Write Compelling H1s:

    The H1 must be relevant to the content on the page, but it should also be compelling. Think about what search intent, which refers to the reasons why someone turns to a search engine in the first place. 

 

• Style Headings for Hierarchy:

  When styling your headings (H1, H2, H3, and so on) make sure that the H1 is the most visually prominent heading on the page. It may seem like common sense, but millions of websites fail to focus on hierarchy, instead making their H1 and H2 virtually indistinguishable. 

What is the H1 tag, and why should you put so much effort into creating it? It’s the top of the hierarchy for every page on your website. It must define the topic of the page in a way that satisfies the search engine algorithms, but it must also satisfy the search engine users by providing them with initial answers to their queries.  The team at GYBO Marketing has created thousands of SEO-optimized H1 tags that improve our clients’ SEO. Reach out to us today to learn more about how we can help you optimize your website with H1 tags and countless other SEO best practices that can improve your brand’s visibility online.