H1 H2 H3 tags for SEO

Header tags (H1, H2, H3 …..) are the second most important onpage SEO factor that you can use to get better SERPs. Search Engines still(with so much of the algorithm based on backlinks) give decent importance to the Header tags and having your target keywords in them can do a lot of good.

Still there is much dispute in the SEO community on how to use them properly.

Some of the prevalent views are:

• Use the same target keyword in H1, H2 and H3 tags. This will make the page look focused on a single keyword and gain importance in the Search Engine’s eyes.

Stuffing keyword at every possible place is a bad idea. Header tags designed to help to break an article in smaller sections. Not to stuff the same keyword over and over again without any relation to the content.

• Don’t use target keyword in H1 tag but use them in H2 and H3 tags. According to them H1 tags have been so abused that Search Bots and algorithm does not give as much importance to them as before. Much like they disregard meta-keywords tag.

Maybe in near future but still now H1 tags work pretty well and much better than H2, H3 tags at least.

• Use “keyword” as H1 tag and “keyword”+ “some word” as H2 and H3 tags. Lets assume your keyword is “Header Tags”. Use “Header tags” in H1, “Header tags Secrets” in H2 and “Header tags Secrets Unveiled” in H3.

Variation of the first view. This will also be considered as header spamming and won’t help the readers.

• Header tags are obsolete. Yup, some think link building is everything.

No comments!

If you are intelligent (which I am sure you are ), you must have understood by now that none of the aforementioned strategies work well. If you want to do “Good SEO” with the header tags follow the rules set by Google and other Search Engines and use them optimally.

How to effectively use Header tags:

1. Use your Main keyword in H1 tag (with or without extra words).
2. Try to keep the “Keyword” at first.
3. Use H2 tags to break down the main topic: Use questions like “How to effectively use Header tags:” or synonyms like “Overuse of H1 html tags” (See I substituted “header” with H1 and “tags” with “html” tag or “H1 or H2 tags- which one to use”. The scenario may change with every post but if you use a little brain you can find a way to write SEO effective and still reader friendly H1, H2 tags.
4. Don’t use H3 with SEO in mind. Just use them with the natural flow of the article to make it more reader friendly. Ignore it if it is not needed.
5. Do not use H4, H5…… tags just because you want better SEOed page. They don’t carry much importance anyways. Remember that this is 2010, spamming doesn’t work with Search Engines. Don’t sacrifice reader satisfaction for SEO.- This is most important.

Got any other view on proper use of Header tags. Please share your experience with us.

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