How to Check and Fix the H1 and Heading Tags on Your Website
By Clay Lawrence, Review Harvest · · 8 min video
The short version
Heading tags are how Google's bots read your website, and the H1 tells them what the page is about. Give every page exactly one H1 that contains your main keyword and your location, and repeat the main keyword in the other headings where it reads naturally. In your website builder, choose the correct heading tag first and adjust the font afterward.
Do this, in order
- 1
Install the free Detailed SEO extension
Go to the Chrome extension store, search for Detailed SEO and download it. Log in with your email, then pin it to your extensions so it is one click away.
- 2
Open your website and click the extension
Click the D icon. It shows the page title and how many H1, H2, H3, H4 and H5 tags the page has. The Headings tab lists every heading in order.
- 3
Make sure the page has exactly one H1
The H1 is the first thing Google's bots see and it tells them what the rest of the page is about. One H1 per page, with the other headings nested beneath it: H2s, then H3s inside those.
- 4
Put your main keyword and your location in the H1
For a window cleaning company in Newport Beach, an H1 such as "Newport Beach's trusted window cleaning experts" carries both the location and the main keyword.
- 5
Repeat the main keyword in the other headings
Include the main keyword, the area and your related services in as many headings as you can while it still reads as plain English.
- 6
In your website builder, set the heading tag first and the look second
In Wix, click the text, click Edit Text and check the style: Heading 1 is what Google reads as the H1. Pick the proper tag, then change the font until it looks the way you want. Squarespace works the same way.
- 7
Check the page your Google Business Profile links to
The website link on your profile opens your Google Business Profile landing page. That is the page where the title, H1 and H2 tags need the right keywords.
- 8
If someone else built the site, ask them to fix it
If the extension shows four H1 tags and three H2 tags, ask whoever built the site first. It may be a simple editing mistake.
Why do heading tags matter for ranking on Google Maps?
Heading tags are how Google’s bots crawl your website, and your Google Business Profile uses your website. Keywords in the title of the page your profile links to, keywords in that page’s H1 and H2 tags, and keyword relevance in the content across your site all appear on the list of ranking factors you can control.
It sounds technical. It is not. If you can follow a mouse around a screen, you can do this.
How do you see which headings your site has?
Use a free Chrome extension called Detailed SEO.
- Go to the Chrome extension store and search for Detailed SEO.
- Download it and log in with your email.
- Pin it to your extensions.
- Open your website and click the D icon.
The extension shows the page title and a count of each heading: H1, H2, H3, H4, H5. Click Headings to see them all listed in order.
What should your H1 say?
Your H1 should contain your main keyword and your location, and there should be only one on each page. The H1 is the first thing Google’s bots see. It tells them what the rest of the page is about.
Take a window cleaning company in Newport Beach. Its Google Business Profile name includes window cleaning, and its H1 is “Newport Beach’s trusted window cleaning experts”. Google sees window cleaning in both places. Google likes consistency.
The headings below the H1 carry the keyword too: window cleaning again, Newport Beach again, then related services such as exterior cleaning and house washing. Use the main keyword in as many headings as you can, as long as they still read as plain English.
The order of the lower headings is not critical. Nest them: H2s under the H1, H3s inside the H2 they belong to.
How do you change heading tags in Wix or Squarespace?
You change the style of the text. That is all a heading tag is in a website builder, which is why so many people set them wrong without knowing it.
One business owner designed her own site and had no idea what an H1 or H2 was. She had picked each text style by how it looked. That is what most people do.
In Wix:
- Click the text and click Edit Text.
- Look at the style. Heading 1 is what Google reads as the H1.
- Set the proper heading: one Heading 1 on the page, then Heading 2, 3, 4 and so on.
- Adjust the font so it looks the way you want.
Do not rely on the built-in look of each heading style. Keep the proper tag and restyle it.
On her site, the main keyword is beach bonfire, and it now appears in heading after heading down the page.
Squarespace is much the same. On one site, the line holding the main keyword, private chef dinners, was set as Paragraph 2. That should be the H1, because it is the first thing you want Google to see. Change the tag, then adjust the font.
What if someone else built your website?
Run the extension anyway. If you paid someone who called themselves an SEO expert and the extension shows four Heading 1 tags and three H2 tags, ask them about it first. They may have slipped while editing.
What you want to end up with is one H1, with the rest cascading down beneath it, and your main keyword and location in that H1.
Which page should you fix first?
Start with your Google Business Profile landing page. That is the page people land on when they click the website link on your profile, and it is the page whose title and heading tags help your profile rank.
How To Rank #1 On Google Overnight: the full series
- 1What the Google Map Pack Is and How to Track Your Ranking in It
- 3How to Change Your Google Business Profile Name and Appeal If Google Reverts It
- 4How to Ask Customers for Google Reviews: Ask, Make It Easy, Remind, Automate
- 5How to Fill Out Every Section of Your Google Business Profile
- 6How to Check and Fix the H1 and Heading Tags on Your Website
- 7Link Each Google Business Profile Product to Its Own Service Page
- 8Internal Linking for Local SEO: Link Back to Your GBP Landing Page
- 9Which Citations and Backlinks Help Your Google Business Profile Rank
Common questions
What is an H1 tag?
An H1 is the top-level heading on a web page. It is the first thing Google's bots see when they crawl the page, and it tells them what the rest of the page is about. H2, H3 and lower headings nest beneath it.
How many H1 tags should a web page have?
One per page. The H1 tells Google what the whole page is about, so there should be a single one, with H2s and H3s cascading down under it. The arrangement of the lower headings is less important.
What should the H1 on a local business website say?
Your main keyword and your location. A window cleaning company in Newport Beach could use "Newport Beach's trusted window cleaning experts". When that matches the keyword in your Google Business Profile name, Google sees consistency.
How do I see the heading tags on my website?
Install the free Detailed SEO extension from the Chrome extension store, open your website, and click the extension. It shows the page title, a count of each heading level, and a Headings tab that lists them all in order.
How do I change a heading to an H1 in Wix or Squarespace?
In Wix, click the text, click Edit Text, and change the style to Heading 1. In Squarespace, click the text and change its style from a paragraph to the heading you need. Then adjust the font so the page still looks the way you want.
What is a Google Business Profile landing page?
It is the page people land on when they click the website link on your Google Business Profile. GBP stands for Google Business Profile, which used to be called Google My Business. Keywords in that page's title and headings help your profile rank.
