What are heading tags?
Heading tags, H1 through H6, mark the titles of a page and its sections in HTML. The H1 is the main title. H2s are the main sections, H3s are subsections inside an H2, and so on down to H6.
They're about structure, not size. A heading's look comes from CSS, so never pick an H3 because it's the right font size. Pick the level that matches where the section sits in the outline.
How many H1 tags should a page have?
One is the convention, and it's the clearest choice. Google has said that multiple H1s don't cause a problem for its search, so this isn't a ranking emergency. But one H1 that names the page's topic is easiest for readers and assistive technology, and it removes any doubt about what the page's main heading is.
The common cause of extra H1s is a theme that wraps the logo or site name in an H1 on every page. Fix it in the template once and every page is clean.
Is it bad to skip heading levels?
Skipping a level, such as going from an H2 straight to an H4, doesn't break the page for search engines. It does make the outline harder to follow, especially for people using screen readers who navigate by heading level. W3C's accessibility guidance recommends nesting headings in order.
Going back up is fine. An H4 followed by a new H2 simply starts a new section.
Do headings help SEO?
Yes, indirectly. Headings help search engines understand what each part of a page is about, and clear headings make a page easier to scan, which helps people find the answer they came for. A heading that matches a common question can also be the hook for a featured snippet or a passage in an AI answer.
They're not a place to repeat keywords. Write headings for the reader, and use your main topic and related terms where they fit naturally.
Should the H1 match the title tag?
It doesn't have to. The title tag is what appears in search results and browser tabs, so it's often shorter and may include your brand. The H1 is what the reader sees on the page. Both should describe the same topic. The checker shows both so you can compare.
Heading best practices
A short list that covers most pages.
- One H1 per page that states the topic
- H2s for each main section, H3s for subsections inside them
- Keep headings short and specific
- Phrase some headings as the questions readers ask
- No empty headings, and no headings used only for styling
- Don't put a whole paragraph inside a heading tag
Why some headings may be missing from the results
The checker reads the raw HTML the server sends, without running JavaScript. That's what many crawlers, AI bots and link-preview fetchers see. If a page builds its content in the browser, its headings won't appear here, and the checker warns you when a page looks like an empty JavaScript shell. Google does render JavaScript, but server-rendered headings are the safer choice.