Headings

Headings are the titles and subheadings that structure a web page, from the main title (H1) down to the lower levels H2, H3 and beyond. They work like a book's table of contents: visitors scan them to decide whether a page answers their question, and search engines use them to understand what each part of the text is about.

The difference between a heading and simply bold text lies in the code. A real heading is marked up as H1, H2 or H3, so browsers, screen readers and search engines can read the hierarchy. Text that merely looks big doesn't carry that meaning.

How do you build a logical structure?

A good heading structure follows a clear tree shape:

• H1: one main title that says what the page is about. It usually ties in closely with the meta title, but doesn't have to be identical to it.
• H2: the main subtopics of the page.
• H3: further division within an H2 section, for example individual steps or variants.

Don't skip levels for visual reasons. If you want a smaller subheading, change the styling rather than using an H4 where an H2 logically belongs.

Why do headings matter?

Google says headings help it understand a page's content, although there is no fixed rule that a particular order or number performs better. The biggest effect is often indirect: a well-organised page gets read more, and a text that is clearly divided by topic matches the search intent of different visitors better.

Headings are also part of accessibility. People who use a screen reader often jump from heading to heading to skim a page. A messy structure makes your site hard for them to use.

Headings in the age of AI search

AI systems such as Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT and Perplexity often pull a specific passage from a page to answer a question. A heading that names the question literally, followed by a short, direct answer, makes such a passage easier to recognise and use. That is also the idea behind AEO: structuring content so it can be used as an answer. There is no guarantee an AI system will choose your page, but a clear structure certainly doesn't make it harder.

An example and a checklist

A roofer in Yorkshire has a page about roof insulation with one long block of text and the title "Welcome". Rewritten, the structure looks like this: an H1 "Roof insulation in Yorkshire", with H2s such as "Which insulation suits your roof?", "Roughly what does roof insulation cost?" and "What grants are available?", and a few H3s for each roof type under the first H2.

1. Use one H1 per page.
2. Make each H2 a clear subtopic or a question your customers ask.
3. Use natural language, not a list of keywords.
4. Check that your theme doesn't mark up logos or buttons as headings.

That last one is a classic you can't spot with the naked eye. A technical SEO analysis of your pages automatically tracks down missing, duplicate or incorrectly nested headings.