Many budding writers think that inserting some bold words in the content related to the topic is enough for ranking the blog on search engine result pages.
However, search engines follow a particular algorithm while crawling and indexing. The blog needs to be optimized accordingly to rank on SERPs.
This is where HTML headers come into play. They are one of the most essential tools for readers’ comprehension and search engine optimization.
What Are Header HTML Tags?
Header HTML tags are header elements in HTML5 that split a web page’s content into headings and subheadings.
They rank from H1 to H6 in order of importance. In a well-structured HTML5 document, these tags are often located within a page’s <header> section or layout.
Though the ‘H’ stands for ‘Heading element,’ the SEO community mainly refers to them as header tags.
What is An H1 Tag?
An H1 tag is the first header HTML element of web page content.
It is of the utmost importance as it represents the title of the web page and conveys the primary purpose of the page.
They must be keyword-optimized and enticing enough to hook the reader. H1 tags must prominently explain the main idea of the post content.
That helps readers and crawlers understand what to expect from the web page content.
The Function of Other HTML Headers
Following are the functions of other tags used hierarchically within the blog content:
H2 Tags:
The H2 HTML headers separate the web page content into sections and explain the main points of the content.
H2 heading tags must include semantic keywords related to the main idea of the content topic reflected in the H1 header HTML tag.
H2 subheaders help readers quickly skim the content and allow them to choose which subheaders they want to read in detail.
H3 Tags:
H3 HTML header tags further explain the point mentioned under H2 Tags.
These subsections often consist of bullet points and lists.
The HTML head tag hierarchy flows to the H6 HTML header tag within the web page content.
How Many Header Tags Can Be Used in HTML?
HTML allows up to six HTML header tags, H1 to H6.
You can use only one H1 header tag in the content. However, you can use the other (H2-H6) HTML header tags as often as you need to design the web page content.
You can also use different styles of HTML headers to make your content aesthetically more pleasing.
If you’re working with multiple components, such as modular HTML files, you might use a separate header.html file that contains your standardized <header> structure—an approach often used in templated websites.
How Do You Add and Design Header Tags in HTML?
Adding a header tag in HTML is a pretty simple process, as shown below:
You can design the header using large font sizes and centered text. HTML also allows you to style the header with ample padding and choose a specific background color, as shown below.
How To Use Header Tags To Enhance SEO?
As mentioned earlier, HTML header tags play an essential role in SEO.
Optimizing your header tags, like the body of the content, is equally important to rank higher in search engines.
You can enhance your content’s SEO using HTML headers by the following two steps:
Keyword Research
The H1 tag must include the primary keyword at the beginning. It will be helpful to include secondary and long-tail keywords in the other HTML head tags.
But first, you need to know the right keywords. And the only way to find them is to execute thorough keyword research using an accurate tool.
Using the RankWatch tool, you can execute keyword research with a breeze by following a few simple steps mentioned below:
- Log in to your RankWatch account and visit the dashboard.
- Go to keyword research and enter your preferred keyword.
- Hit the ‘Search’ Button after selecting the location.
- The tool will show the entire list of keyword suggestions along with their search volume, competition, and CPC.
Once you have completed your keyword research, you can use those keywords in your header tags for better SEO.
Test Your Content
Once you finish optimizing all the HTML headers, you must test your content using the right tool to check whether there are any further provisions for optimizing your header tags.
Here comes the SEO IQ feature of RankWatch to provide you with those tips.
The feature offers detailed improvement ideas and exact keywords for your header tag.
You can find the optimization status of your web page content by clicking on the ‘Content Editor’ tab. The tool also provides you with keywords for better optimization.
Clicking on the ‘Questions’ tab of the content editor will provide you with the most popular search queries often used by searchers. Using them as subheader HTML tags will enhance your web page SEO.
Conclusion
Optimizing header HTML tags of your web page content is essential for SEO.
You can measure the effectiveness in reality by performing a simple test.
You can publish any blog content without optimizing the header tags and measure the traffic for the next few days.
Then, you need to optimize the HTML headers by inserting the right keywords and using the right tool. You should also optimize the H1 header tag by adding styles that match your brand image.
You can now measure the organic traffic for a specific period. You can quickly notice a boost in traffic.
That is because your optimized headers help the crawlers understand your content topic, which in turn helps them index and rank your content.
Moreover, readers can easily comprehend your content once you optimize your header HTML tags.
However, using a reliable tool to explore further provisions for header tag optimization is essential. That will ensure you are not missing any chance of optimizing your header tags. That will further improve your web page ranking.