Gary Illyes from Google addressed a query regarding the significance of SEO in hierarchically organizing heading elements (H1, H2, etc.). His response provided valuable insights into the true impact of heading aspects on digital marketing.
Heading Elements
In simple terms, HTML elements are the fundamental components of a web page, much like how the foundation and roof of a house contribute to its overall structure. Heading elements, in particular, help to convey a page’s main topics and subtopics, effectively creating a structured outline when viewed by their headings alone.
The World Wide Web Consortium, defines HTML standards, describes headings as follows:
“HTML defines six levels of headings. A heading element encompasses all the necessary font adjustments, paragraph breaks before and after, and any white space required to display the heading correctly. These heading elements include H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, and H6, with H1 being the important level and H6 the lowest.
Headings serve a similar purpose to lists in organizing content, and it is common practice to number headers or use graphical elements akin to bullets in lists.” Therefore, adhering to a hierarchical structure when using heading elements is essential.
What Google Says About Headings
A recent question raised concerns about the SEO Starter Guide, which recommends using heading elements in “semantic” order primarily for the benefit of screen readers. The query suggested that this guideline might be outdated, as an SEO tool provided a different recommendation.
Gary Illyes addressed the question:
“I recently read in the SEO Starter Guide that ‘Having headings in semantic order is fantastic for screen readers, but from Google Search’s perspective, it doesn’t matter if you use them out of order.’ Is this still accurate, especially since an SEO tool suggested otherwise?”
Gary’s response clarified the situation:
“We regularly update our documentation to keep it current, and the SEO Starter Guide was recently refreshed to ensure its accuracy. So, the information in the guide is as reliable as possible.
Additionally, just because a tool from outside Google suggests a particular approach doesn’t necessarily mean it’s relevant to Google’s algorithms. The advice might be helpful, but it’s essential to focus on Google’s guidelines for SEO.”
Is It Relevant For Google?
The official HTML standards offer flexibility in the use of heading elements.
Here’s what the standards say:
“A heading element describes the topic of the section it introduces. User agents may use heading information to make a table of contents for a document automatically.”
And:
“The heading elements like H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, and H6, and H1 being the atmost level and H6 the lowest.”
According to the official HTML5 specifications, while the hierarchical ordering of headings is implied, the primary purpose is to mark the beginning of new sections within a web page. The standards encourage “nesting” headings to reflect subtopics, but this is a strong recommendation rather than a strict rule. Specifically, “The first heading element within a sectioning content element represents the heading for that particular section. Subsequent headings of same or higher rank start another implied sections, while headings of lower rank start implied subsections of the previous one. Sections may have headings of any rank, but mostly authors are encouraged to use only H1 elements or appropriate elements for the section’s nesting level.”
The guidance on using H1 elements may seem unusual, but it’s intended as encouragement rather than a strict mandate. The standards are more rigid about using heading elements with a hierarchical structure, mainly for accessibility purposes.
In line with these standards, Google’s use of heading elements aligns with their flexibility. While SEO tools might advocate for hierarchical order as optimal, this does not translate to an SEO advantage.
Thus, while H1 remains crucial for accessibility, it is not the most important heading for Google’s ranking algorithms. Historically, H1 was once considered the most significant heading for SEO, but that hasn’t been true for decades. Some SEO tools and professionals may still hold this belief, but it’s no longer accurate.
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