Main heading

What we check

We count the first-level headings (H1) on the home page. If the H1 is missing or there are several, there is a warning.

Why it matters

The H1 is the main heading of a page, comparable to the headline of a newspaper article. Search engines and AI assistants read it to recognise the topic of the page. Screen reading software for blind people jumps to the H1 with one keystroke to find out quickly where they are.

Many website builders do not set the H1 automatically, or they mark up the logo, a slider text or a "Welcome" as H1. Google then lacks the most important signal on the most important page.

Incidentally, large type is not the same as an H1. What matters is how the text is marked up in the HTML.

How to fix it

Use exactly one H1 per page. It should name the main topic, on the home page the most important offer. If the offer is tied to a place, include the place:

• good: "Hiking boots and outdoor clothing"
• less good: "Welcome"
• less good: "Muster AG" (the name only)

All other headings on the page are H2 or lower.

WordPress

In the block editor you choose the level "H1" to "H6" for a heading block. Many themes set the page title as H1 automatically. Check whether the theme does this before you add a second H1. With page builders such as Elementor you set the level in the heading widget under "HTML tag".

Wix, Jimdo, Squarespace

Select the text and choose "Heading 1" in the text format. In Wix the formats are called "Heading 1" to "Heading 6". Make sure that only one text on the page has this format.

How to check it yourself

In the browser, right-click the largest heading and choose "Inspect". In the developer tools you can see whether it is marked up as <h1>. Browser extensions such as "HeadingsMap" show all headings of a page at a glance.