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Heading structure checker

Paste a page's HTML to see its h1 to h6 outline, and find headings that are missing, repeated, empty or out of order. It runs in your browser, so your code is never sent to us or stored.

Your code stays on this page. Nothing is submitted, saved or shared, and nothing in it is run or loaded.

How do I get a page's HTML?
  1. Open the page in your browser.
  2. Right-click and choose “View page source”, or press Ctrl+U (Cmd+Option+U on a Mac).
  3. Select everything, copy it, and paste it above.

This also works for drafts and staging sites that Google cannot reach yet, which is a good time to check a structure.

Headings
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H1 headings
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Issues
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Deepest level
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Paste some HTML above to see its headings.

What it checks

  • That the page has an H1, and how many it has.
  • That the first heading on the page is the H1.
  • That levels are not skipped, for example an H2 followed straight by an H4.
  • That no heading is empty.
  • That the same heading text is not used more than once.
  • Headings inside noscript are ignored, because most visitors never see them.

Questions about headings

What is a good heading structure?

One H1 that names the page's main topic, then H2s for the main sections, with H3s under an H2 when a section needs sub-sections, and so on. Think of it as the contents page of a book: someone skimming only the headings should still see what the page covers.

Should a page have only one H1?

HTML allows more than one, and Google copes with it. A single H1 is still the clearest choice, because it states the main topic once and is easier for people using screen readers. The checker flags extra H1s as a notice, not an error.

Do headings help my rankings?

They help search engines and readers understand what each part of a page is about, but they are not a switch that lifts rankings. Write headings for the people reading the page, and use natural wording that includes the terms they would search for.

Why do skipped heading levels matter?

People who use screen readers often move through a page by heading level, and a jump from H2 to H4 suggests something is missing. Choose the heading level for the structure, not for how large the text looks. Size can be set with CSS.

Is my HTML stored or sent anywhere?

No. A script in your browser reads the code you paste, and the tool has no form to submit. Scripts in the pasted code are not run and its images and files are not loaded. Closing the page clears it.

Why paste HTML instead of entering a web address?

Pasting keeps your code private and lets you check drafts, staging sites and pages behind a login. One limit is that the tool does not load your stylesheet, so a heading hidden with CSS looks the same as a visible one.

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