My site's template has multiple H1 tags

My site's template has multiple H1 tags. Is this a problem? -- asks Markus from Germany

Some sites have multiple H1 headings. Is that bad?

We'll answer that question and give some general tips in this video.

[ro.ferreirasp]

Chegando pelo Curso em Video : HTML5 e CSS3 2021 - modulo 01
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[fernandagachet]

Thanks for the content of your video! Gustavo Guanabara recommended it! =)

[nateonawalk]

One caveat: Though it may not have a direct sway on SEO, having good header hierarchy (and using H1s sparingly) really helps those with screen readers better navigate your content.

[antoinegirault]

Thanks for clarifying that often-asked question, but I assume that even if it is not "bad", it still is a good SEO practice to introduce the main content section with an explicit <h1> that describes and sums ups what the page is about. Once again, the question is more about what is in the <h1> markup, rather than how many <h1> appear in the same webpage.

[SubhashJainIndia]

Good clarification. We can use multiple H1 tags on a web page. With HTML 5 template, Mueller is explaining that it is common to have multiple H1 tags.

[j_holtslander]

I believe he's referring to within a HTML5 <section> element. Each section can have an H1 within it. If there are no sections dividing them it would be a problem.

Thanks for the comments, my friend john, we would like to see more of the videos. The broadcast quality is very nice and it's great to see you. I love Google with you.

[Beamtic]

Some users of screen readers may have a slightly harder time navigating, but this is a very small issue. If you want to maintain backwards compatibility, use sections+h1-h6 instead of sections+h1.

[seoguruji]

Yes John, Previously it was the issue but now after HTML5, There is no issue because the semantic elements like header, footer, section etc, help representing the hierarchy perfectly and one can use one H1 tag in each such elements safely.

[Jaclyn]

Soooo after years of saying only one h1 tag...now all of a sudden "it's fine" to have multiple. We need more of an explanation as to why tbh.

[peterlafond]

My understanding is that H tags aren't nearly as strong of a signal as they once were when looked at individually. Instead, Google looks for organizational patterns with how Headings are used across a page. Botttom-line, don't write for SEO, but present ideas/thoughts on your page in an organized fashion.

[TheUtubitus]

I wonder if there was a misunderstanding here.

I understand and agree that there is nothing wrong with marking different page parts (sections) with different H1 tags, if they serve different topics, that are not suited to be h2 subheadings.

But when I hear "My site's template", what comes to my mind are CMS sites run on (badly) coded Themes.

So imagine writing an important Blog post, crafting your perfect headline with care, only to find out that the theme outputs two more H1s above your headline:

<h1>Your website business name</h1>
<h1>Your blog's tagline</h1>
<h1>your Article's headline</h1>

Of course, you still have Meta title to explain to Google what you prefer to be outputted in serps, but this surely cannot be right. Right?

[dds-jr]

Multiple H1's is fine, though these should fit in/around that pages content, having multiple non-contextual H1's is confusing from a user perspective and the same from search. Like a chapter in a novel, H1's should be representative of content.

[ColBurt]

But couldn't you just modify the look of <h2> / <strong> in CSS for ux??

To me, it still makes no sense to have multiple H1's because that's like the book's title, with the chapters being H2, and the chapter subsections being H3?



Even if google says it's fine, I feel like Multiple H1's, if not used appropriately, could flag you for keyword spamming.

[CommonOre]

John, are you saying that if you have multiple H1s on a page that it would be helpful (or necessary) to use schema markup so Google understands the main topic of the page?

[jameskennedy]

What about accessibility? Does more than one H1 tag cause problems for screen readers or confuse people?

[nikhilsvlog]

nice info-- thanks. I still have one query, , My blog is showing two H1 tags as it is considering title tag also as H1 tag, , due to which it is showing two h1 tags in the source code.

is it harmful seo practice and if yes, how to rectify it..plz quide

[amberwoods]

I'm surprised by this answer. A webpage should only have 1 main heading just like a chapter in a book. I would have thought multiple H1s would be spammy and artificially weighting other headings for keyword rankings. Even if you have "separate H1 elements for different parts of a page" wouldn't those widgets and sidebars be templated across multiple pages and duplicate content?

[MsBluSpot]

So here's a question I've longing to ask. If I use a service like WIX am I going to get all the optimization in terms of a Great H1 built in ? It's the little things that get me even know about a H1...thx much Great Series and Super Good Talk

[DamianGarciaIT]

This differs with Bing. Is that entering the tool for webmaster of Bing tells me that my page has several tags <h1>, hinting that this is not right and must be corrected. Also, mark it as a high error.