This month Pam Ann Aungst, our resident SEO expert, talks a bit about keyword placement in headings
A hierarchy of headings is the proper way to organize content on a webpage, both for visual and search engine purposes. Visually, headings make web content easier to read and more likely to hold the viewer's attention. No one wants to read endless pages of text that looks like it all blends together. For search engine purposes, headings should be created with the HTML header tags (<h1>, <h2>, <h3>).
- H1 tags are for the main page topic and should only be used once per page
Example: "Widget-Building Services" - H2 tags are for topical headings
Example: "Widget Building", "Widget Design" - H3 tags for sub-topical headings
Example: "Widget-Building Turnaround Time" - H4 through H6 tags can be used for even further sub-topic division, but at this point you begin to lose effectiveness with regard to keyword optimization
Search engines place the most importance on the H1 tag (specifically on the first few words in headline), the second most importance on the H2, and so on. Whenever possible (but only if it makes logical sense), try to make a heading a complete phrase that a searcher would type into a search engine. Don't overdo this strategy, as that may be perceived as keyword stuffing, but certainly take advantage of it when it's logically appropriate.
A note about page titles and headings in copywriting:
Copywriting for SEO is different than copywriting for traditional marketing purposes. What may sound best may not work best for search engines.
- For example, an article titled "New Featured Project - Widget Building on a Budget" would be much better stated as "Widget Building on a Budget: New Featured Project" to encourage search engine rankings for "widget building on a budget", since the first few words in a title or heading are given the most weight.
Write naturally first, but go back and try to find a happy medium between what the search engines would like and what reads best to a human.
A note about page design and H tags:
Visually, by default the H1 tag can appear obnoxiously large in some browsers, so it is recommended to have the web designer use CSS (cascading style sheets) to properly size the H tags to the overall design of the page. But under no circumstances should CSS or any other method of styling be used to create headlines; the H tags must be used for optimal search engine performance.
Pam is a uniquely well-rounded internet marketing professional. She has been deeply involved in each aspect of the e-commerce business model as well as traditional business functions such as accounting, sales, and customer service.
