What is heading hierarchy (H1–H6)?

HTML has six heading levels, from <h1> to <h6>. Heading hierarchy means using them like a table of contents: the page's main topic goes in a single H1, main sections in H2s and their subsections in H3s. Headings are chosen for structure, not looks; if you want bigger text, use CSS.

#Why it matters

Search engines and AI assistants use headings to understand which section answers which question. A clear hierarchy makes content easier to summarize and to quote section by section. Screen reader users also navigate pages by headings. Without an H1, or with several, the main topic becomes unclear.

#Where you see it in SEOAsist

Technical Audit counts H1s on every page and reports two issues: No H1 heading and Multiple H1 headings. Both are Serious. The hint suggests using a single H1 for the main topic and turning the others into H2/H3. The crawler also counts question-style H2s, which feed the answer-readiness signals on the GEO side. Details: Technical Audit.

#Example

<h1>Boiler Service Guide</h1>
  <h2>When should a boiler be serviced?</h2>
  <h2>What does a service check?</h2>
    <h3>Burner and heat exchanger cleaning</h3>
    <h3>Gas leak test</h3>
  <h2>Boiler service prices</h2>

#Common mistakes

• Making the logo or site name the H1 on every page, so the real page title becomes a second H1.
• Picking heading levels for font size (for example, using H4 because it looks small).
• Skipping levels (jumping from H2 straight to H4).
• Not noticing theme components (sidebar, footer) that output extra H1/H2s.