When writing SEO content, every detail can affect how well your blog ranks. We talk about the importance of keywords, interlinks, and structure, but what about headers? Learn along with us!
What is an SEO Header?
By official definition, an SEO header is an HTML tag that helps online visitors and search engines navigate and comprehend the content on a web page, whether that’s blogs, product and collection descriptions, or landing pages. Different types of headers (also called headings, in many cases) are required for success, each with its own tags and level of importance to focus on as you’re writing.
The Purpose of a Heading is To:
- Break up your text and structure your content
- Provide a clue to the reader on what the section is about
- Improve readability for both visitors and search engine algorithms
Do Headers Improve Your SEO Rankings?
Yes, they really do! Even with an everchanging algorithm, headers help send a signal to search engines (using relevant keywords) to tell them what the page is about. Without these, your content will go unnoticed online—and no one wants that.
What is SEO Heading Hierarchy?
When writing SEO headings, it’s important that they be logically structured. This is often called heading hierarchy, and using this method will help you create well-structured content that you, your visitors, and search engines will understand.
As you add your HTML tags, ensure they always go in order. For example, you should never go right from an H1 to an H4—there has to be an H2 and H3 between. You don’t need all six types of headers, but they must always be inserted in the correct order to positively affect your ranking.
Choosing an H1 Heading
The H1 heading is your title, and it’s an essential component of SEO content, as it describes the blog’s main topic. H1s should have the largest text size so readers can identify the content before they continue to scroll.
These can be the same words as the page title, but they don’t have to be. It’s also important to make them easily digestible – we suggest choosing one between three and seven words.
Considering H2-H6 Subheaders for SEO
Think of H2, H3, H4, H5, and H6 tags as subheaders that nest underneath the main H1 heading. Each one should help further separate the sections of text into specific, Googleable ideas. A good way to remember the structure is that the bigger the heading number gets, the smaller the font should become. Your content doesn’t necessarily require more than the H2 or H3 subheadings, but you can use any of them if they make sense to your writing.
A Simplified Example of SEO Headings
If it’s not quite clicking yet, don’t worry! This small element of SEO writing can trip a lot of people up. Hopefully, this basic example of a blog titled “How to Choose a Bracelet” will help it all make more sense:
- H1: How to Choose a Bracelet
- H2: Basic qualities
- H3: Price
- H3: Material
- H3: Embellishments
- H2: Styling options
- H3: Match to your necklace
- H3: Mix metals
- H3: Statement or minimalist
- …etc.!
If you’ve been tasked with writing SEO headings for your job or your own blogging service, it may take a little while to get the hang of things. But with our insight, it should be a little easier. Happy writing!