H1 tag
The H1 is the main heading of the page content (<h1>) — usually the article title, product name or category name. It tells readers and search engines what the page is about. Good practice: one visible H1 per page, matching the topic and the title tag.
What it looks like
<h1>Oslo corner sofa</h1>
Below it, <h2> and <h3> headings split the content into sections.
Good practice
- one H1 per page, at the start of the content,
- describes the page topic and contains the main keyword naturally,
- visible to users, not hidden and not an image without text,
- consistent with the title and the content.
Common mistakes
- the logo or store name in an H1 on every page,
- the H1 disappeared after a template change (it became a plain
div), - the same H1 on every category page,
- an H1 added only by JavaScript that the crawler didn't run,
- several H1s from menu or footer elements.
Monitoring the H1
IndexRise checks the first H1 of monitored pages every night. A change in its text and a disappearing H1 are warnings with the previous value, and a second H1 that wasn't in the baseline is reported as a duplicated element.
Frequently asked questions
How many H1 tags can a page have?
Google doesn't penalise several H1s, but one clear H1 states the topic most plainly. Multiple H1s are usually a template bug, such as the logo wrapped in an H1.
Does the H1 have to match the title tag?
No. They can differ — the title is for search results, the H1 for someone already on the page. They should cover the same topic.
What if a page has no H1?
Google will rely on other signals, but you lose a simple, strong topic signal. A missing H1 on pages that used to have one is usually a template bug.
Updated: 2026-10-20