Like other SEO meat-and-potatoes tactics, there’s no denying that header tags are not that very important for your website rankings like they used to be.

However, there’s also no denying that these tags still serve a vital function - for your users and SEO. They can influence your rankings by making your content simpler and more enjoyable to read, and by giving keyword-rich context regarding your content for search engines.

Here are some header tag best practices for your SEO.

1. Use Headers to Provide Structure

Your header tags present structure and context on your article. Every header should provide the reader an idea about the information they will see from the paragraph text that follows below.

A great way to think of header tags is by comparing them to a table of contents for a book.

Your H1 introduces the subject or topic of your page, just as the title tells the reader what a book is all about.

The H2s are similar to book chapters, describing the main topics you will tackle in sections of the article.

Subsequent headers, H3s to H6s, function as additional subheadings within each section, just as a book chapter can also be split up in multiple sub-topics.

2. Use Headers to Break Up Text

A scannable article is a readable article and is one that more likely to perform well in search engines.

Scannability is very important to the success of an article, that publications like Forbes have gone so far, calling it “the most neglected factor of content marketing.” 

Only 16% of internet users read an article word-by-word. The rest just scan the article.

People simply like scannable content. According to the same research, an article that is scannable is more likely to perform better with readers.

When an article is scannable, users might actually stick around to read it, rather than going back to Google. Plus, they will also be more likely to share it with their friends.

While social signals are not a direct ranking factor, the more an article is shared, the more likely it is to naturally earn backlinks, which is a ranking factor.

3. Include Keywords in Your Header Tags

While headers are not going to have that large of an impact on your SEO as a backlink from an authoritative site, Google still looks at them to gather context for your page.

Your page should be readable first and foremost, and should naturally include keywords.

Design for users, then create tweaks to optimize for Google – without sacrificing the user experience.

Increasingly, SEO professionals found that good UX translates to good SEO.

4. Optimize for Featured Snippets

One place where header tags make a positive impact on SEO is with featured snippets - in 2 specific ways :

• The first is optimizing your header tag for a long-tail voice search keyword and then respond to the questions directly below using text inside <p> paragraph tags.
• The second is using the subsequent, smaller headings to outline various list items. Google uses these headers to form its own bulleted and numbered lists featured snippet results.

5. Only Use One H1

Google has said there is no problem with using multiple H1s.

Google said that there is no problem with using many H1s. But that doesn’t mean it is an SEO best practice to do so. 

Why not?

H1s are big and look like titles to readers. Use many H1s on your page and it will start to look a little out of control.

6. Keep Your Header Tags Consistent

A good rule of thumb for UX is to maintain a consistent experience for users.

When a website achieves that down to the finest detail, it will be impressive.

Aim to impress with consistent header tags.

If you decided to use title case format, stick with that across all your pages.

Also, you should keep your headings on the shorter side.

A header tag is not a good place to emphasize a block of keyword-rich text for Google.

Think of it as a mini-title for the next section of text.

For a good rule of thumb, keep your headers about the same length as your title tags.

The more you can set up expectations for your website visitors, and then consistently meet them, the happier they will be in engaging with your website.

7. Make Them Interesting

The rule applies to all your copywriting, not just in the headers.

Your first draft could have bland headers that you use to create your outline, however you should always review and revise them before publishing to make them compelling for visitors.

Yes, your header tags make your article scannable. But ideally, they don’t scan the whole way through.

Intriguing header tags encourage guests to take a beat and read for a while.

Place special importance on your H1 tag in specific. Users notice H1s.

In large part, your H1 could dictate whether visitors bother to scroll down the page at all.

Do your best to be able to write one awesome H1 tag that answers the user’s search intent and gets them excited in reading your article.

Stay Ahead with Header Tags

Be an SEO all-star. Don't ignore any task, no matter how small of an impact it will be for your website. Pay attention to how you use your header tags so that you won’t be wasting your efforts.