Heading Order (H1-6) And SEO... Let's Discuss!

[christopher jon]

So,

I'm whipping up a new wordpress theme and something I'm always tinkering with is getting the most bang for my code buck.

On a single page, obviously you want your post or page title as the H1, so what then is the best header or tag for the blog title?

I've typically reduced it down to a <p> paragraph but I've read and seen others using H3, H4 or even span tags.

Now, semantically and when it comes to proper heading using, an H3 before an H1 is wrong which is why I use a <p> but being that others do it differently, I'm curious what you think about this.

OK, I know somebody is going to say It doesn't make that much difference, and I agree, but given that I am able to code the theme any way I want, I might as well get the most out of the theme I can. It might not make a big difference but a slight improvement could be the difference between #3 and #1.

So, discuss

[yukon]

I always run a single <h1> per page, & do something like this with the page title (header).

<div class="mytitle" style="font-size:18px"><strong>My Title Text Here</strong></div>

[paulgl]

I use h3, h6, many times before h1. It fits nicely and looks good.
Sometimes an h1 is too big, and I settle for h2.
No reason not to do it. It's heading size.What does <p> do?
Just signifies paragraph break. Nothing to do with text size
or emphasis.

There is nothing semantic about heading tags. Sometimes a
line before a title looks good, sometimes a line afterwords looks
good. Sometimes multiple lines look good. Many times I will do
<h3>
<h1>
<h4>

or any combination.

Making a difference between #1 or #3? Doubtful.

Paul

[OKFarmgirl]

I don't know what the benefits are (I'm noobish) but I make my title contain my keywords, and my subtitle (H2) is at the head of the article and rephrases the keywords. Then, an intro paragraph, then usually H3 headers that ask questions or indicate what the next paragraph will be about.

I.e.
-H1- Bass Vocals - Best Bass Vocalists -/H1-
-H2- Base Vocalists - Best Bass Singers -/H2-

-p-Yadda Yadda Yadda-/p-

-H3-Who are the top three bass vocalists of all time?-/h3-
list
list
list

-H3-What causes someone to sing in the bass range?-/H3-
why why why why

I dunno - if that makes sense. So I've had pretty good luck getting ranked with that and I try not to make it sound goofy. I'd like to know though, do the header tags make a difference when it comes to G-love?

[christopher jon]

I use h3, h6, many times before h1. It fits nicely and looks good.
Sometimes an h1 is too big, and I settle for h2.
No reason not to do it. It's heading size.What does <p> do?
Just signifies paragraph break. Nothing to do with text size
or emphasis.

You missed the part where I mentioned that I'm a web developer so I can make any element any size or color I want.

There is nothing semantic about heading tags.

That is incorrect. They exist for a reason and do have a proper use order. A refresher course for those who aren't aware of how to properly use them.

Does google pay them any attention, answers vary from person to person but it doesn't hurt to do things the way they are supposed to be done... and bend the rules a little when you find something that works a little better.

[christopher jon]

Originally Posted by OKFarmgirl

I don't know what the benefits are (I'm noobish) but I make my title contain my keywords, and my subtitle (H2) is at the head of the article and rephrases the keywords. Then, an intro paragraph, then usually H3 headers that ask questions or indicate what the next paragraph will be about.

I.e.
-H1- Bass Vocals - Best Bass Vocalists -/H1-
-H2- Base Vocalists - Best Bass Singers -/H2-

-p-Yadda Yadda Yadda-/p-

-H3-Who are the top three bass vocalists of all time?-/h3-
list
list
list

-H3-What causes someone to sing in the bass range?-/H3-
why why why why

I dunno - if that makes sense. So I've had pretty good luck getting ranked with that and I try not to make it sound goofy. I'd like to know though, do the header tags make a difference when it comes to G-love?

You've got it right.

What I'm pondering is what is the proper text element for something that comes before the H1, and does it even matter.

[GeorgR.]

I use H2 for the blog title and sometimes H3. H2 if the BLOG TITLE is still relevant, H3 or no H tag at all if i dont care too much about the blog tite...