# Heading Tag Hierarchy for On-Page SEO

> Rules for structuring HTML heading tags to improve accessibility and search indexing

This tip outlines best practices for ordering HTML heading tags (H1 through H6) on a web page. Following a strict hierarchical structure helps search engine crawlers understand content architecture and prevents common on-page SEO issues.

## How it works

1. Always start the page content with a single \<h1\> tag rather than an \<h2\>.
2. Keep heading levels in strict sequential order (H1 -\> H2 -\> H3 -\> H4); never skip levels directly (e.g. jumping straight from H1 to H4).
3. Ensure main \<h2\> headings explicitly include the primary keywords you want the page to rank for, rather than generic or purely stylistic phrases.

## What it is for

- Audit page structure during an on-page SEO review
- Format blog posts and landing pages to target primary keywords
- Improve accessibility and screen reader navigation across website content

## Key points

- Use a single \<h1\> tag to define the page's primary topic
- Maintain strict sequential heading order without skipping levels (H1 to H2 to H3)
- Integrate target search keywords naturally into \<h2\> headings rather than generic text

## Pricing

Free

## Details

- Type: Tip
- Category: [Marketing & Sales](https://xiry.app/topics/marketing-sales.md)
- Topic: [Search Engine Optimization](https://xiry.app/topics/marketing-sales/search-engine-optimization.md)
- Open source: no
- Platforms: Web
- For: Web developers, SEO specialists, and content writers
- Tags: seo, html, on page seo, content structure, web dev

## Why it was saved

- [@heytony.agency, 15 August 2023](https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cv-LZ0vMyTo/): Prevents common structural SEO mistakes that confuse search crawlers and harm keyword rankings.

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Updated 3 October 2026. Page: https://xiry.app/resources/heading-tag-hierarchy-for-on-page-seo

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