Heading Structure Analyzer

Why Heading Structure Matters

Headings aren't just styling choices—they're semantic elements that communicate your content's structure to both search engines and screen readers. A logical heading hierarchy helps Google understand what your page is about and how different sections relate to each other.

The Golden Rules of Heading Hierarchy

• One H1 per page: Your H1 is your main topic. Having multiple H1s dilutes your focus and confuses search engines.
• Don't skip levels: Go from H1 → H2 → H3, not H1 → H3. Skipping levels breaks the logical flow.
• Use headings for structure, not styling: If you just want bigger text, use CSS. Headings should reflect content hierarchy.
• Keep headings concise: Aim for under 70 characters. Long headings lose impact and may be truncated in featured snippets.

Common Heading Mistakes

The most common mistake is using headings for visual styling rather than semantic structure. Just because you want text to be bold and large doesn't mean it should be a heading. Another frequent error is having no H1 at all, or burying the H1 in a sidebar or footer rather than making it the main page title.

Headings and Featured Snippets

Google often pulls featured snippet content from well-structured pages. Clear headings that ask questions (like "What is..." or "How to...") followed by concise answers are prime candidates for position zero. Your heading structure can directly influence whether you earn these coveted search result placements.