Improve Search Engine Placement and Reader Response With Subheaders
By Terry Heath · Print This Article
Many bloggers and webmasters completely ignore <H2> header tags in their page layouts. But research has indicated header tags can significantly improve your page’s placement in the search engine results. Not only that, but the proper use of <H2> tags can make your pages, articles, and blog posts easier for site visitors to scan. Since visitors from search engines and social media are famous for giving webpages a quick scan, effective use of the <H2> header tag can be a tool to draw your visitors into an article and turn them into readers. The tags can also prompt your readers toward the response you want them to make.
Header Tags and Page Layout
For optimum performance, any webpage should only have one set of <H1> tags, but using a few <H2> tag sets is generally considered good practice. <H2> tags divide your page into sections and allow you to highlight each section with your targeted keywords and keyword phrases.
If you’re posting an article or showing a blog post on a single page, your title should be enclosed in <H1> and </H1> tags and subtitles should be between <H2> and </H2> tags. Search engines rank the importance of text within header tags, giving the most weight to an <H1> tag and the least to an <H6>. The impact of <H3> through <H6> tags is disputable as far as search engines go, but you may still want to use them to guide your reader’s attention.
Remember, with header tags more isn’t necessarily better. Use only one <H1></H1> tag set, and after a few <H2></H2> tag sets you’re probably better off switching to <H3> tags.
Header Tags and CSS
You can adjust the text size in your header tags to match your site through CSS. The actual size you make the text doesn’t matter; bigger isn’t weighted heavier by the search engines. Just think what looks best and helps your readers navigate through the article. You may want to designate your text sizes through em instead of px, since the em tag allows for relative font sizes based on screen width and browser settings.
Header Tags as Guides
The time you put into planning your <H2> tags will pay off in dividends. Although they’re a good place to use keywords, keep in mind your readers will use them as guides. The subheaders where you place <H2> tags shouldn’t be full of keyword spam, they’re most effective when they guide your reader through the article or blog post.
If you’re selling something or want the reader to take a specific action, use these subheadings to lead your readers. The final subheading should prompt your readers to take the desired action.
If you have a blog, check out my tutorial for SEO help with your WordPress theme’s header tags.
Completely agree with you about subheaders. Most people will scan the content and subheaders make your page much easier for your visitors to read your content.
Chris’s last blog post..Three Month Overview of Social News and Bookmark Popular Topics
Hi Chris,
I think the best part of subheaders is the benefit they have for scanability, but when you surround them with header tags the SEO benefit is worthwhile too. Kind of a win-win situation.
Terry,
I love simple two-for-one tips like this.
I always write for scanability, but never thought of the H2 tags.
Thanks,
Walt
Walt Goshert’s last blog post..Are You Making These Common Marketing Mistakes?
Hey Walt,
I had used bold and italics for years without much thought. But then I started wondering what the SEO implications might be. Header tags are the solution, they make sense, and as an added bonus you can control the look through CSS and make a more attractive layout than simply using bold.
This is really interesting.
I have just checked one of blogs and my post headings default to H2 tags.
Would you suggest it would be best to go back and change them all to H1 and then put a subhead in (H2), eventhough they have been online for, in some cases, months?
Many thanks for the article.
AnneMarie Callan’s last blog post..How To Use Internet Marketing To Eliminate Your Debts Challenge
Hi AnneMarie,
Changing the location of your header tags doesn’t change your permalinks (the way a page is accessed) so none of your established links would be broken. Over time the search engines would adjust your how your pages are indexed. Keep in mind, this really isn’t going to do much to help your search engine placement if you haven’t been using targeted keywords in your post titles and subheadings. You can change your post titles on a WordPress blog without effecting your permalinks as long as you DO NOT change your post slug, since it determines the permalink.
Does that make sense? I haven’t had my morning coffee yet. If you do decide to make the change, I linked to my tutorial at the end of this post. You could also switch to a SEO friendly WordPress theme, and I’ll be writing about some of them in the next day or two.
Remember if you do change your header tags, be ready to change your CSS at the same time; you’re probably not going to like the way it changes the look of your blog if you don’t at least change the header tag font sizes.