Headings are the skeleton of a page. They help readers scan, help screen readers navigate and help Google understand the main topic and subtopics. When I review websites, broken heading structure is one of the most common problems I see. Pages with three H1s, pages with no H1 and pages where the designer used headings just to make text bigger.
How headings should work
- H1: one main heading per page that describes the whole page
- H2: main sections of the page
- H3: subsections inside an H2
- H4 to H6: deeper levels, rarely needed on normal pages
Think of it like a book: the H1 is the title, H2s are chapters and H3s are sections within chapters.
What our checker shows
The Heading Structure Checker reads any page URL or pasted HTML and gives:
- Counts of H1 to H6 headings
- Checks for a single H1, presence of H2s, skipped levels and empty headings
- A full outline indented by level so you can see the structure at a glance
How to use it
- Open the Heading Structure Checker.
- Enter a page URL or paste HTML.
- Click Check Headings.
- Read the outline like a table of contents. Does it make sense on its own.
Common problems and fixes
- No H1: add one main heading that includes your main keyword naturally.
- Multiple H1s: keep one and change the others to H2.
- Skipped levels: do not jump from H2 to H4. Use H3 in between.
- Headings used for styling: if text is a heading only because it looks big, change it to normal text and style it with CSS.
- Empty headings: remove them. They often come from page builders.
Headings and SEO
Headings carry more weight than normal text. Including your main keyword in the H1 and related keywords in some H2s helps Google understand your content. Question style H2s can also help you win featured snippets when the answer follows directly below.
Plan headings before writing
The easiest way to get structure right is to plan it first. Our AI SEO Article Outline Generator creates a clean H1, H2 and H3 outline you can write under.
Check competitor outlines
Run the checker on the top ranking pages for your keyword. Their outlines show which subtopics Google rewards. If every top result has a section on prices or comparisons and yours does not, you have found a gap to fill. Use their structure as inspiration, never as something to copy word for word.
A real example
A local restaurant website had its name as the H1 on every page, including the menu, catering and contact pages. Each page looked identical to Google. We changed the H1s to Restaurant Menu with Prices, Catering Services for Weddings and Events and Contact and Location in Gulberg. The headings finally described each page, and the catering page began appearing for event catering searches in its area.
Headings for accessibility
People who use screen readers often jump from heading to heading to understand a page, much like sighted readers scan bold text. A clean heading structure makes your site usable for them too. Accessible websites reach more people and send positive quality signals. Good headings are one of the simplest accessibility improvements you can make.
Frequently asked questions
Can a page have more than one H1
HTML allows it, but one clear H1 is the best practice for SEO and accessibility.
Do H3 and H4 matter for ranking
They matter less than H1 and H2, but they help organise content and readability.
Should the H1 match the title tag
They can be similar but do not need to be identical. Both should describe the page clearly.
Check your outline now with the free Heading Structure Checker.