What Are Heading Tags

Why we should use heading Tags Correctly

What Are Heading Tags

What are heading tags? is a question we get asked alog at Sligo Web Design and there importance is a question I get asked time and time again. So I have decide to write thos short article to give you a brief overview to help you understands what heading tags are and how designers should use them

On a webpage or an HTML document, a heading is used to introduce the content which follows. Heading tags have a top-down hierarchy from h1 to h6. HTML defines six levels for headings. h1 is used to define the most important heading. h6 is used to define the least important headings.

What Are Heading Tags And Why Are They Important

Google uses Headings to understand and make sense of our content. If a good structure is placed, It will help Google to match your content with the search phrases put in Google Search Engine by its visitors. Helping Google is helping yourself, rank in Google.

HTML Heading elements create an experience for your users. Headings introduce your content to your visitors. Headings help visitors locate what they are looking (skimming). Headings help visitors stay on your page (better bounce rate). Well explanatory and honest headings form good user experience. As Google is shifting towards user experience, this can help your page rank better.

However If you have a page with thin content (and thin content doesn’t necessarily mean a bad thing), you probably will need a few. If you have a page with 2000 words or more, It is better to use more than a few correct HTML headings tags to help your readers find what they are looking for. You do not need to use all HTML heading tags to structure your content. Heading H1 to H3 can do a good job for you.

What you should avoid when using heading tags

Using heading tags properly on a webpage will help you with your SEO process. But it can also damage your SEO process if not implemented properly. E.g sometimes web designers or marketers will use a tactic called keyword stuffing. Keyword stuffing is when a brand fills a webpage with the same target term in hopes of ranking higher for that term in search engines. While not as popular as it was a few years ago, it’s still used by some brands to try to boost their search visibility.

Types of visible keyword stuffing include:

Unnecessarily repeating words or phrases
Adding words that are out of context
Inserting blocks of the same keyword
Using keywords that are not relevant to the topic of the page

Marketers and user also use the same keyword stuffing tactics in their title tags. When using this tactic you will see an increase in traffic. However, if detected by Google this could lead to a decrease in rankings

Our personal approach to heading tags

Use Heading Tags to Provide Structure.
Use Header Heading Tagsto Break Up Text.
Include Keywords in Your Header Tags.
Optimize for Featured Snippets.
Only Use One H1.
Keep Your Header Tags Consistent.

For further information on a web page layour or heading tags get in touch by emailing info@sligowebdesign.ie