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The Truth About Multiple H1 Tags and SEO

ByBill Sebald

TL;DR

We conclude that while it’s acceptable (and common) to stick with one H1 per page, multiple H1s can be used as long as they are not overused to the point of spamming and fit contextually within the page’s structure. As for SEO improvements from headers, the improvement appears to be negligible today.

Update: Google has agreed with the above statement (September 10, 2024). Google Says Fixing Headings Won’t Change Rankings.

Update: Google created a video on October 3, 2019 – Multiple H1 headings: how to handle them for SEO & accessibility

Update: Confirmed by Google on December 21, 2017 – My site’s template has multiple H1 tags

The Multiple H1 Tag Debate

H1 tags are synonymous with SEO. Once upon a time, a very young and unsophisticated (relatively speaking) Google relied on headers to determine the context of the preceding content. But how important are headers for SEO today? Should we still be obsessed with them for rankings? Apparently not.

HTML5 officially rolled out in October 2014. This sparked renewed interest in an old SEO debate amongst web designers and online marketing pros. Is using multiple H1 tags on a single page bad for SEO? Depending on the school of thought you subscribe to, some web designers debate the actual use case in the document outlining. As did some SEOs.

We know H1 tags have user and SEO value, but lately that value has dwindled to “light” as a ranking signal. Some SEOs attempt to insert multiple H1 tags on a page (typically with target keywords), believing they are influencing Google’s algorithm. I’ve seen H1 elements in breadcrumb trails, hidden behind wordless graphics, and pushed to the margin with CSS. Shady stuff – don’t do that.

However, other SEOs who worry about being spammy adhere to a single H1 tag rule of thumb. When a client asked about this topic, we reassessed our multiple H1 best practices. We had to determine our position on this matter. We wrote this blog post with the input of fellow SEOs and web designers via social media.

HTML5 Document Outlining Overview

For all non-techies, since 1997, HTML 4 was the go-to way for web developers to outline, code, and build websites. Many of the sites that exist today are built in HTML4. Whether you’ve made the switch to the HTML5 specification or are using HTML4, using multiple H1 tags is OK. Be sure there is a logical reason for them and that you aren’t abusing them at the cost of user experience. This old but relevant video from Matt Cutts concurs. 

Tag Usage for Beginners

We (SEOs, writers, and web designers/developers alike) always say that tag usages are similar to how an article’s title is structured. Because of this, it makes sense that Google would use them as signals or contextual clues towards your subject matter (at least to some degree). They help search engines better understand the content of the page, article, or piece.

Technical SEOs then put their spin on this fact. The old-school way of “optimizing” HTML header tags and H1 tags for better search rankings was to do keyword research and then stuff those keywords many times on one piece of content. Google was aware of this tactic. What followed was the tactical portion of the SEO industry performing experiments on the value of H1 tags.

For as long as I can remember, there have been contradicting articles proclaiming things like “H1 has no power,” “only the first H1 matters,” and “all H1s have a huge impact.” The eventual general conclusion was akin to, “Google is on to us – only use one H1 tag and make sure it’s keyword-rich.” I would argue that that is where half the SEO industry is today.

But does that make sense from a content marketing and digital marketing perspective? Aren’t there situations where a page might aggregate several topics (despite some technical SEOs’ recommendations), where a few H1 tags are apt? Thanks to the HTML5 document standards finally being agreed upon, using multiple H1 tags on a single URL is now accepted as semantically correct, as long as they are used correctly and not as a spammy trick. Simply put, there are new rules governing H1 usage.

The following is how H1 tags can be used within your document structure:

  • An H1 should always be in the first section of the page’s content (usually the logo or the level heading area).
  • H1 tags can be used to divide content sections (traditionally where most consider an H2).
  • H2 tags are used as HTML head elements to outline the support for the H1 section label, with H3, H4, and so on, following.

From our perspective, as Google expands its understanding beyond simple keywords, encouraging us to always write for humans, we recommend using H1 tags as needed for users. Then, work in keywords when it makes sense. We are no longer of the “one H1 tag only” mentality and see no reason against recommending the HTML5 usage rules. It feels like an appropriate match to Google’s desires post-Hummingbird.

Optimizing H1 Tags for SEO

Sure, the SEO impact is low, but every little bit helps. If you are focusing on headers for SEO purposes, you should always try to include a keyword when it is relevant to the preceding copy in your H1 tag so that your users and the search engines understand the main idea of your web page.

Below are a few helpful tips that our SEO team follows to optimize our headings for on-page SEO. We are interested in extracting any remaining SEO value from these tags.

  • The keyword you choose for your H1 tag should be somewhat different than the keyword you’re striving for in the title tag and URL.
  • Write your web page content so that your H1 articulates a compelling, user-friendly message that makes sense and is easily recognizable, in contrast to a keyword-stuffed heading.
  • The words in each H1 tag should be unique and targeted to the web page they’re on. Having a unique H1 tag would be helpful in terms of Google recognizing the unique relevance between different pages. The H1 tags are one of the most significant SEO elements on the page, besides the title tag.

Since Google is favoring sites with longer-form, more holistic pieces of content (as evidenced by Hummingbird), as well as increasing its semantic understanding ability, having multiple H1s on a single page may continue to become more common. It could actually be beneficial in helping both users and search spiders better digest the content section on each webpage. It’s a safe assumption to think Google will get on board with HTML5 regarding H1 tags – if they haven’t already.

Interested in SEO services? We are a Philadelphia SEO agency supporting clients all over the country. Let’s talk.

 

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