What the H1 heading does
The H1 is the main heading of a page. At a glance it tells readers, search engines and screen readers what the page is about.
How it works
HTML has six levels of headings, <h1> to <h6>. The H1 sits at the top: it names the topic of the whole page. Below it, H2 headings structure the sections, H3 the subsections and so on.
<h1>Tax advice for freelancers</h1>
<h2>Our services</h2>
<h3>Bookkeeping</h3>Visitors usually see the H1 as the largest heading at the top of the page. Search engines read from it what the page is about. Screen reader users jump through a page by its headings, and the H1 is where they start. More on structure in How headings structure a page.
What matters
- Exactly one H1. One main heading makes the topic unambiguous. If the page has several, make the most important one the H1 and the others H2.
- With text. An H1 that only contains a logo image counts as empty in the check. Use a heading made of real text.
- Visible. The H1 belongs visibly on the page, not hidden with CSS.
- Names the topic. “Welcome” says nothing. Better to say what the page offers, much like the page title, but worded for readers on the page.
- Meaning, not font size. Whether something is an H1 or an H2 depends on what it means. How big it looks is up to the CSS.
How to set it up
In most CMSs, the page title you type at the top of the editor automatically becomes the H1. Common mistakes sit in the theme: the logo in the header is marked up as an H1 on every page, or headings in a page builder are all set to H1. In the block editor you choose a heading's level in its settings; in the theme, your agency or whoever maintains the templates changes it.
In HTML, a visible heading that names the topic of the page is all it takes:
<h1>…</h1>