This search engine optimization (SEO) guide answers the question, “why is H1 tag important for SEO?”
Below, you’ll find out why H1 tags matter for a website’s search engine rankings and get a list of the top benefits of H1 tags in SEO.
There’s also a section with additional resources that explain more about the fundamentals of H1 tags to help you create the most effective search engine optimization strategy.
Table of Contents
Why Is H1 Tag Important for SEO?
The H1 tag is important for SEO because the H1 tag is an HTML heading used to mark up the main topic for the content. H1 tags are also crawled by search engines to help index and rank the content for relevant search queries.
Benefits of H1 Tag In SEO
1. H1 Tag Is a Ranking Factor
The top benefit of the H1 tag is that it’s a ranking factor for search engines. Although the power as a ranking signal for SEO has diluted since the early days of Google’s algorithm, the H1 heading tag is still an important part of your website that search engine crawlers will analyze for indexing and ranking purposes.
2. H1 Tag Improves Crawlability
H1 tags are also important because it helps search engine spiders understand the information hierarchy of your content. If you have a properly formatted H1 tag on the page, then the spider will understand that this HTML element is the top heading for the content.
As a result, crawling your web page and indexing it for relevant search terms will be more effective and lead to a preference in ranking for your target queries.
3. H1 Tag Defines the Main SEO Topic
Another advantage of the H1 tag is that it defines the main SEO topic for the page. Typically, the main subject your content covers will be present in the first header, which is often coded in HTML to be the H1 tag.
Because the H1 tag is the top-level heading for organizing the structure of the content, both search engine algorithms and users use this HTML element to understand what the page is about. Therefore, you should include your primary keyword in the H1 header so benefits both people and crawlers.
4. H1 Tag Reduces Bounce Rates
One of the best benefits of the H1 tag is that it helps reduce web page bounce rates.
For example, if you click on a search result that says “100 Ways to Cook a Chicken” and the first element you see when that page loads is “Homestyle Chicken Recipes with Sides”, odds are you’ll think that you’ve clicked on the wrong link. The same is true if there’s no H1 tag at all defining the main topic for the page.
As a result, making sure that your H1 tag is consistent with the title tag is an important step to reducing the bounce rate. The H1 tag and meta title tag should always be the same (or very similar) to avoid any possible confusion for the user. and to lower the bounce rate metric.
5. H1 Tag is Good for Accessibility
Another importance of H1 tags is that they’re a key HTML element for people with visual impairments. Those with screen readers rely on H1 tags to clearly identify the main topic of a given web page. Without an H1 tag, it can be difficult to identify where the cosmetic title of an article is on the page.
Additionally, website visitors with screen readers often use header tags to navigate through the page page. As a result, making sure that your H1 tag is clearly a title and relevant to the main subject matter can help users return to the top of a page easily if they need to.
Learn More About the H1 Tag
The links below explain more about the H1 tag and how to use it correctly for better search engine optimization. Use these resources to expand your knowledge on the subject.
H1 Tag Is Important for SEO Summary
I hope you enjoyed this guide answering the question about why is H1 tag important for SEO.
As you discovered, the H1 tag matters because this HTML heading is used to mark up the main topic for the content and is crawled by search engines to help index and rank the content for relevant search queries. The benefits of H1 tags in SEO also include it being a ranking factor for search engines, improving crawlability, reducing bounce rates, and enhancing accessibility.
