First impressions are everything in the world of SEO. You only have seconds to persuade someone to click on your website. When they do, you need to keep your readers interested by offering valuable information or solving a problem. That’s where H1 tags enter the picture.
Like a good first impression, a good H1 tag engages your visitors. It tells them exactly what your page offers and encourages them to read until the end or complete another action, such as ordering a product or signing up for a service. H1s play a key role in search rankings, too.
A strong H1 tag is concise, descriptive, and includes relevant keywords. Although the best H1s are short (under 70 characters), writing them isn’t so simple. But Redefine is here to help. In this guide, we’re doing a deep dive into H1 tags, why they matter, and how to write them effectively.
Clarifying SEO terms: H1 tag vs. title tag
Before we go any further, let’s clarify some SEO terminology. (SEO, of course, stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it’s a digital marketing technique with a lot of acronyms!)
H1 is short for “Heading 1.” It’s an HTML tag designed with an opening “<h1>” and closing “</h1>”. However, most of today’s website builder platforms like WordPress and Squarespace let you skip the coding side and apply an H1 tag automatically to the title of your page.
But here’s where it can get a little confusing. On the technical side, an H1 tag is not the official title of your page. That’s a separate designation known as a title tag.
What’s the key difference?
Title tags
Title tags are part of your page’s meta data, which means they appear in browser tabs as well as the listing on a Search Engine Results Page (SERP). Titles need to be short (50-60 characters) and must include a keyword.
H1 tags
H1 tags are visible on the content of your page and they are generally the most prominent text at the very top. H1s can be longer (up to 70 characters) and more descriptive than titles.
Although SERPs traditionally display the title tag, this practice has started to shift in recent years. Often, search engines will use H1 tags instead of title tags if they determine that the H1 is more relevant to the search. In other words, an H1 tag serves as a “fallback” or alternate title.
Do they have to match?
Sometimes, it makes sense for your H1 and your title to be the same, but they don’t have to be a perfect match. For example, if you’re writing a listicle blog for a city, your H1 could be “Top 10 Best Rooftop Bars for a Date Night in Los Angeles” while your title is “Top 10 Rooftop Bars in LA”.
Why H1s are vital for SEO
So if H1 tags don’t always appear on SERPs, why are they so essential? In addition to serving as an alternate title tag, there are three reasons:
- Support search rankings
Even though H1s aren’t part of the meta data, they help search engines understand your content and support more accurate search rankings. The search engine crawlers read your H1s first and use them to categorize your page. For example, if your H1 tag for an ecommerce page is “Clothing, Shoes & Accessories,” it tells the crawler to serve your page to users who want to buy clothes, rather than users who want to read a blog about fashion trends.
Note: This is why your title tags and H1 tags should always be closely connected. As we mentioned above, they don’t need to be identical, but they should never be opposing or completely unrelated. If your title tag is “Clothing, Shoes & Accessories” but your H1 tag is “Why We Love Sandwiches,” your web page will appear spammy and get penalized – or even unlisted.
- User experience
A strong H1 tag is critical for a good on-page user experience. H1s allow the user to immediately understand what your page is about.
If you’re writing a blog, the best H1s also have a compelling hook that grabs the reader’s attention. They pique curiosity, promise to solve a pain point, or offer original, accurate information that can add value to the reader’s life.
- Content structure
Similarly, an H1 tag creates structure for your content. This is helpful to search engine crawlers and human readers alike. They announce the core premise of your page and create the top-level of the roadmap or hierarchy for your content.
How to write a killer H1
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s discuss craft. Creating a killer H1 for your SEO-optimized pages requires more than just typing some words and then selecting “Heading 1” in the format menu. You’ll need to incorporate target keywords and consider clarity and readability.
Incorporate SEO keywords
An effective H1 tag uses a keyword that’s relevant to your page. In some cases, if you’re optimizing for a specific long-tail keyword such as, “How to bake a cake without eggs,” the entire H1 could be your keyword!
But don’t use too many keywords. This is a practice called “keyword stuffing,” which goes against SEO best practices and loses favor with readers and algorithms alike. Keep it simple.
Focus on a clear, concise message
If you took your content and boiled it down into a single statement, what would it be? That’s your H1.
Take this blog, for example. We’ve covered a lot about H1 tags, including how they’re different from title tags and why they’re important, but the key takeaway of this article is how to write them. An H1 like “How to Write the Best H1s for SEO: Understanding How They’re Different from Title Tags and Why You Need Them” is technically accurate, but it’s way too long and it obscures the key takeaway.
“How to Write the Best H1s for SEO” is short and simple, yet descriptive, and it informs the reader about exactly what this blog offers.
Keep your H1s readable
Remember, you’re writing for humans first, algorithms second. Always make sure your H1 tag remains grammatically correct and easy to read. If your target keyword is “plumber Chicago,” it’s better to make your H1 “Chicago Plumber” for readability’s sake.
Bonus tip: there can be only one
As a bonus tip, remember that H1 tags are the Highlander of SEO. There can be only one! If you have multiple H1 tags on a single page, it will confuse both the user and the search engine. You risk diluting the focus of your page and disrupting the organizational flow of information.
Stick to one H1 tag, then create subsections with H2s, H3s, and H4s as needed. If you’re creating a landing page where you want the same-size large font in different sections, you can always work with a design team to create H2 tags that resemble H1s.
Let Redefine optimize your H1s
Still unsure how to write the best H1s for SEO? Let us help! We can review your current H1 tags and help you optimize them for clarity, better engagement, and more conversions. Get in touch with Redefine Marketing Group today for a free discovery call.
