HTML Headings

The Six Heading Levels

HTML has six heading tags, from <h1> (largest, most important) to <h6> (smallest, least important):

<h1>Main Page Title (biggest)</h1>
<h2>Major Section</h2>
<h3>Sub-section</h3>
<h4>Minor Heading</h4>
<h5>Small Heading</h5>
<h6>Smallest Heading</h6>

SEO Rules for Headings

Search engines (Google) use headings to understand your page structure. Follow these rules:

• Only one <h1> per page — it is the main title. Google reads this first.
• Use <h2> for major sections, <h3> for sub-sections within those
• Do not skip levels (don't jump from h2 to h4)
• Include your target keyword in the <h1>
• Keep headings descriptive — they tell both users and Google what the section is about

Real Page Example

<h1>HTML Tutorial for Beginners</h1>      <!-- page title, 1 only -->

<h2>Getting Started</h2>
  <h3>What is HTML?</h3>
  <h3>Setting Up VS Code</h3>

<h2>HTML Basics</h2>
  <h3>Tags and Elements</h3>
  <h3>Attributes</h3>
    <h4>The href Attribute</h4>
    <h4>The class Attribute</h4>

<h2>Conclusion</h2>

Headings vs Bold Text

Do not use headings just to make text big or bold. Use them to define document structure. If you just want bold text, use <strong> or CSS.

<!-- WRONG: using h3 just for big bold text -->
<h3>Important note: save your file!</h3>

<!-- CORRECT: use strong or CSS -->
<p><strong>Important note:</strong> save your file!</p>