Definition

What Are Heading Tags (H1–H6) in HTML?

HTML elements (H1–H6) that define the hierarchical structure of content on a page. Critical for SEO, accessibility, and visual hierarchy.

Related Terms

SEO

HTML

Content Strategy

Accessibility (A11y)

Typography

Example

A webpage has one H1 (page title), multiple H2s (section headers), and H3s (subsection titles) creating a clear content outline for users and crawlers.

Pages that rank in position 1 on Google are 3x more likely to have their H1 include the target keyword compared to pages ranking in positions 2–10, according to Backlinko's analysis of 11.8 million Google search results.

Synonyms:

H tags, Header tags

Acronyms:

H1–H6

What it applies to

Every page of a website. Heading tags are both an SEO signal and an accessibility feature — they structure content for search engine crawlers and screen reader users simultaneously.

How to structure heading tags

  • H1 (one per page): The primary topic of the page. Should contain the target keyword. Written as the page title — what this page is fundamentally about.
  • H2s (multiple per page): Major section headings that divide the page into scannable chunks. Each H2 should introduce a distinct topic or subtopic.
  • H3s (within H2 sections): Subsection headings. Used when an H2 section contains multiple distinct sub-points that warrant their own heading.
  • H4–H6: Used sparingly for deep content structures like FAQs, technical documentation, or specification tables.

Rules to follow

  • Never skip heading levels — don't jump from H2 to H4. The hierarchy must be sequential.
  • Style headings with CSS, not by choosing a heading level based on visual size.
  • Never use heading tags just to make text bold or large — use them for structural meaning only.

In Webflow

Add heading elements from the Add panel and choose the correct level (H1–H6). Style each level globally using the tag selector so all H1s, H2s, etc. across the site are consistent without manual styling on each instance.

Heading Tags: Common Questions Answered

Question

Answer