Heading Tags Test

What is it?

Heading tags (H1, H2, H3 and so on) define the document outline of a page. They communicate the hierarchy of topics to users, search engines, screen readers, and AI crawlers, in much the same way that chapter and section headings give structure to a book. The H1 represents the most important heading, typically the page title or article headline, while H2 tags label the major sections and H3 tags break those sections into subsections.

Why heading structure still matters

A clean heading hierarchy makes a page easier for everyone to consume. Search engines use headings as a moderate ranking signal that helps them understand the page's topical structure and the relationships between sections. Screen reader users navigate by heading and depend on a logical order to make sense of the page. Even sighted users benefit, because well-labeled sections let them scan and find what they need without reading the entire page.

For SEO specifically, the H1 is one of the strongest topical signals on the page after the title tag. Including the focus keyword naturally in the H1 reinforces what the page is about. The H2s, used for major sections, can pick up secondary keywords or related queries the page also addresses, which tends to expand the range of related searches the page becomes eligible to rank for.

The newer reason: AI answer engines

AI answer engines and LLM-driven search tools use heading structure to break long pages into discrete passages they can quote, summarize, or cite individually. A clean hierarchy gives the answer engine a natural way to extract a relevant section in response to a specific query, which improves your visibility in generative results. Pages with a single wall of text are harder for these systems to attribute and cite, so heading structure now functions as an AEO signal as much as a classic SEO one.

Common mistakes worth checking

No H1 on the page, often because a theme treats the site logo as the H1 instead of the page title.
Multiple H1s: HTML5 permits them, but a single H1 keeps the document outline unambiguous for screen readers and crawlers.
Headings used for visual styling only, where bold or large text mimics a heading without using the actual tag.
Skipped levels, jumping from H1 directly to H3, which confuses assistive technology.

This test verifies that your page uses H1 and H2 tags and that the hierarchy is sensible. The fix guide below covers how to add or restructure headings in raw HTML, in the major content management systems, and in framework templates.

Pass rate:

Top 100 websites: 62%
This value indicates the percent of top 100 most visited websites in the US that pass this test (in the past 12 months).
All websites: 55%
This value indicates the percent of all websites analyzed in SEO Site Checkup (500,000+) in the past 12 months.

Pass rates of Top 100 US websites
2021	70%
2022	57%
2023	59%
2024	62%

100

How do I fix it?

The H1 and H2 tags give search engines and assistive technology a clean outline of the page's topics. Fixing this issue means adding a single descriptive H1 and a logical hierarchy of H2 sub-sections so the page's structure is unambiguous to both users and machines. AI answer engines also use heading structure to segment content into discrete passages they can quote or summarize, so a clean hierarchy directly helps the page get picked up in generative results.

Example

<body>
  <h1>Lightweight Running Shoes for Marathons</h1>
  <h2>What to look for in a marathon shoe</h2>
  <h2>Top picks for 2026</h2>
  <h2>How we tested</h2>
</body>

Where to make the change

Raw HTML: add a single <h1> near the top of the page's main content, then use <h2> for major sections and <h3> for subsections under those.
WordPress: in the block editor, set the post title's heading level to H1 (themes usually do this automatically) and use the Heading block for in-body H2 and H3 sections.
Shopify: the product or page title field renders as an H1 in most themes. Use the rich-text editor to add H2 and H3 headings inside the body.
Wix or Squarespace: use the heading style picker in the block editor to assign H1, H2, and H3 levels rather than just changing font size.

Common causes and how to resolve them

No H1 on the page: add a single <h1> that names the page's primary topic. Many themes either skip the H1 or render the site logo as one.
Multiple H1s: while modern HTML allows multiple H1s, most SEO tools still flag them. Pick the most important one and demote the others to H2.
Headings used for visual styling only: bold or large text styled to look like a heading does not help search engines or screen readers. Use the actual heading tag and style it with CSS.
Hierarchy skips levels: jumping from H1 directly to H3 confuses assistive technology. Keep the order H1 then H2 then H3 without gaps.

Best practices

One H1 per page: reserve it for the page's main subject; treat it as the in-page equivalent of the title.
Make headings descriptive: each heading should make sense out of context. "How we tested" is better than "Methodology" alone if the page is a product review.
Include keywords naturally: H1 and H2 are mid-strength ranking signals. Use the focus keyword in the H1 and supporting terms in H2s when it reads naturally.
Outline the page from headings alone: if you can read just the H1 and H2s and understand what the page is about, the structure is doing its job.