HTML Heading Checker
(H1\u2013H6 Analyser)

H1–H6 Best Practices for SEO

Heading tags are one of the most direct on-page signals you can control. Getting them right is foundational SEO — both for search engine understanding and for the humans reading your content.

Common Heading Mistakes That Damage SEO

These are the heading errors we see most often when auditing UK business websites. Each one is easy to miss but straightforward to fix once identified.

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  Missing or empty H1 tag

  Some pages have no H1 at all — often because the design uses a styled div or an image instead of an actual heading tag. This is a clear signal to Google that the page lacks a defined main topic. Always ensure your primary headline is wrapped in a proper <h1> tag.

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  Multiple H1 tags on one page

  Using H1 for section titles, the logo text, and the page headline dilutes its significance. Google may still rank the page, but it loses the clear topical signal that a single H1 provides. Audit each template in your CMS to ensure only one H1 renders per page.

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  Skipping heading levels (e.g. H1 → H3)

  Jumping from H1 directly to H3 without an H2 breaks the document outline. This confuses screen readers (harming accessibility) and makes it harder for search engines to parse the content hierarchy. Always progress through heading levels in order.

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  Using headings purely for visual styling

  Developers sometimes apply H2 or H3 tags to make text appear bold or large, rather than to denote a structural section. This pollutes the semantic meaning of the page. Use CSS classes for visual styling and reserve heading tags for meaningful content hierarchy.

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  Vague or keyword-free headings

  Headings like “More Information” or “Our Services” tell Google and users almost nothing. Every heading is an opportunity to reinforce topical relevance. Rewrite vague headings to be descriptive and include relevant keywords where they fit naturally.