When you see the headings on a webpage, what do you think? That they are just used to distinguish the topic or subtopic in front of the main texts? Yes, that’s one of the reasons. However, headings are also very instrumental in Search Engine Optimization (SEO). How? When you or any other person of the 4.66 billion active internet users around the world type a query into a search engine, the results are ranked by certain things called Search Engine Bots.
These bots crawl through different pages and use their headings to decide how they will rank on the results page. All these in a matter of seconds. Do you now see that headings play a vital role in helping your website rank well in search engines? There are different types of headings or header tags that you can use on your webpage from H1 to H6 and each of these header tags serves its different functions. Hence, it is important for you to know the functions of each header tag and how to use them. This article will highlight five distinct ways that you can use header tags and H1 for SEO.
- To Provide Structure:
Header tags are used to divide your article into segments. It provides context for whatever content you are writing. Typically, a header tag gives your readers a brief explanation about what they are about to read. So, if a reader is on your site looking for a particular piece of information – because you have used header tags to structure your web content – the reader can easily locate the information and read through. When readers find it easy to navigate through your web content, they are very likely to come back to your website when they need more information. H1 tags are generally used for the main topic of the page. H2 tags are used for subtopics. H3-H6 tags, though not used often, are employed when there are extra subheadings in the text.
2. To Break Texts:
The untold truth about web articles is that not everyone will read your content word-for-word. Yes, that’s the truth. People will be more inclined to scan through till then find something that catches their interest and read from there. In fact, a study showed that only 16% of internet users read content word-for-word. So, how do you write to get the attention of the remaining 84%? By using header tags! Header tags allow you to break your content into bits which makes the content scannable. When an article is easy to scan, it makes it easy to read.
3. To Include Keywords:
Header tags are a great place to add keywords to your articles. Search engines like Google consider a lot of things when ranking websites. This means that when you add keywords to your headers, it increases the ranking of your article. Be sure to use the keywords naturally so that it does not look like you are forcing it; a situation that can bring down your ranking. To help you with keywords, you can partner with SEO consulting services. They can help you with the placement of keywords in your texts so that it ranks well in search engines.
4. For More Optimization:
The H1 header tag helps you rank your website on a search engine. However, something that can bring more optimization is the use of other header tags. Header tags like the H2 or H3 will be useful when someone is searching for a list that you have made in the article. For example, if you have written an article about the “Parts of the Body” and someone searches for the parts of a human body, Google will likely suggest your webpage on the featured results if you use header tags to highlight the parts of the body in the article. You can always consult with an SEO Consultant on how to use headers and subtitles.
5. For Consistency:
Header tags help you to stay consistent throughout your article. This will improve the user experience of your site. When you stick one type of header tag to one type of subheading, it makes it easier to understand the content of your article. If your content is easy to understand, more people will spend time on your site and this will increase your ranking.
Header tags are a good place to make use of keywords but avoid stuffing keywords there, it can affect your ranking. Also, there is a common myth that only the H1 tag should be used throughout an article. However, if you keep using H1 it can confuse readers and some parts of your article can lose their importance. Remember, header tags make your article interesting, readable, and scannable which are all good for SEO.
