This search engine optimization (SEO) guide answers the question, “why is H3 tag important for SEO?”
Below, you’ll find out why the H3 tag matters for a website’s search engine rankings and get a list of the top benefits of H3 tags in SEO.
There’s also a section with additional resources that explain more about the fundamentals of H3 header tags to help you create the most effective search engine optimization strategy.
Table of Contents
Why Is H3 Tag Important for SEO?
The H3 tag is important for SEO because it allows search engine crawlers to understand the page structure and intent of the content. Search engines analyze the text within the H3 tags to understand the subcategories of the content that confirm topical depth and relevance.
Benefits of H3 Tag In SEO
1. H3 Tag Is a Ranking Factor
The top benefit of the H3 tag is that it’s a ranking factor for search engines. Although the H3 header is not particularly strong for SEO, it indirectly affects many other factors that improve keyword rankings in the search engine results pages (SERPs) as discussed below.
2. H3 Tag Boosts Topical Relevancy
H3 tags are important because they improve the topical relevance of the web page for its target SEO keywords. H3 subheaders are designed to support H2 headers by breaking the subsections down into further important subcategories for the user.
The H3 subheadings are useful for semantic SEO, which is the process of building more meaning and topical depth for website content. This is done by including semantically related phrases, entities, and facts in the H3 subcategories to establish relational relevance.
By optimizing the H3 tags correctly for SEO, you’ll increase the perceived depth and expertise of the content for search engine crawlers, and therefore, make it more likely to rank higher in the SERPs.
3. H3 Tag Improves Crawlability
Another advantage of the H3 tags is that they help search engine crawlers better understand the information hierarchy of the page, which can lead to better indexing and rankings.
In proper HTML markup, the subcategories of H2 headings should be labeled with H3 tags. This hierarchy gives search engine crawlers the correct information about the key topics and subtopics for the page.
If the content was a wall of text with only paragraph tags, and no H2s or H3s to define the subsections and categories, then the crawler may not correctly index the content for the most relevant search queries.
Additionally, if only H2 tags were used for every key point and subcategory, then the content may lose its relevance for matching user search intent. The H3 tags work to boost the topical depth which is why they’re an important factor for crawlability.
4. H3 Tag Enhances the User Experience
One of the best benefits of the H3 tag is that it enhances the user experience for visitors.
User experience is a key ranking factor for SEO because it impacts how satisfied people are with the content. Poor user experiences lead to lower rankings in the search engines while high satisfaction leads to higher rankings in the SERPs.
H3 tags can improve the readability and accessibility of the content by making it easier to scan and navigate to find important information. Visitors who use desktop devices, mobile phones, and screen readers are better able to jump between parts of a web page that uses the H3 header tags effectively.
Proper use of H3 tags also makes the content seem more trustworthy and credible to the user because it shows that the author understands the crucial subcategories of information that the reader needs to know to fully comprehend the subject matter.
5. H3 Tag Are Used In Featured Snippets
Another importance of H3 tags is that they’re used in Featured Snippets.
Featured Snippets are the extracts of a web page that search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing display to users at the top of the search results to answer queries in a quick and easy-to-understand format.
A common type of Featured Snippet is the list-style snippet that displays an ordered or unordered list. This snippet type appears in the SERPs for queries that relate to step-by-step guides, how-to instructions, and product lists, and the H3 tags are often pulled from the web page for the Featured Snippet.
A great way to optimize for Featured Snippets is to make the first H2 heading on the page match the primary search query a user types into Google to find the type of information your content is written about. A keyword research tool like Semrush, KWFinder, or SE Ranking can give you this data.
Next, you want to provide the answer to that query in the format of H3 tags directly below the H2 heading. The best practice is to include between 5 to 10 H3 tags with the subtopics that support the H2 heading above it. Google, in particular, will show the first 5-8 items in the Featured Snippet position as a list so the more you can include on the page, the better it is for SEO. Look at how this section of the guide is laid out (Benefits of H3 Tag In SEO) to see an example of this practice in action.
Learn More About H3 Tags
The links below explain more about the H3 tag and how to use it correctly for better search engine optimization. Use these resources to expand your knowledge on the subject.
H3 Tag Is Important for SEO Summary
I hope you enjoyed this guide answering the question about why is H3 tag important for SEO.
As you discovered, the H3 tag matters because it allows search engine crawlers to understand the page structure and intent of the content as well as the subcategories to confirm topical depth and relevance. The benefits of H3 tags in SEO also include being a ranking factor for search engine algorithms, improving crawlability, enhancing user experience, and giving the content the ability to target the Feature Snippets position in the SERPs.
