How to Use Headings and the H1 Tag

What this means

Headings are the titles inside a page. In the code they run from H1 (the main headline) to H6 (the smallest subheading). A site audit flags pages with no H1 at all.

The H1 is different from the page title. The title shows in Google's results and the browser tab. The H1 is the big headline visitors see at the top of the page. They usually say similar things, but they don't have to match word for word.

Why it matters

The H1 tells visitors what the page is about the moment it loads, and it tells Google the same. Pages without one often have the right words in a large font that isn't marked as a heading, so the meaning is lost.

Headings also help people who use screen readers. They can jump from heading to heading the way everyone else skims.

How to fix it

1. Open the page and find its main headline.
2. Check it's set as "Heading 1" (or H1) in your editor, not just bold or large text.
3. If there's no headline, add one that matches the topic of the page title.
4. Use one H1 per page. For sections underneath, use Heading 2, and Heading 3 for parts of a section.

On WordPress

In the block editor, click the headline, choose the Heading block and set the level to H1 in the toolbar. Many themes show the page's name as the H1 already. If your page builder (Elementor, Divi and so on) has a heading widget, set its HTML tag to H1 in the widget's settings.

On Shopify, Wix and Squarespace

• Shopify: themes usually make the product, collection or page name the H1. A missing H1 often comes from a home page built from sections where none of them uses one. Set a section heading's style to Heading 1 if your theme allows it, or ask your theme developer.
• Wix: select the text and choose "Heading 1" from the text style menu. Wix shows the HTML tag in the text settings.
• Squarespace: select the text and choose "Heading 1" from the paragraph style menu.

Good headings in general

• Make the H1 say what the page is: "Wedding Cakes Made to Order", not "Welcome!".
• Use headings in order. Don't skip from H1 to H4 because you like the size; change the size with your theme's settings instead.
• Write headings that make sense on their own. A visitor scanning only the headings should understand the page.

Checking your fix

Right-click the headline, choose Inspect, and check it's wrapped in an h1 tag. Or use a free browser extension that lists a page's headings.

If you use Duality, tick the page in Site Audit and choose Verify my fixes to check it again straight away.