SEO tools
Heading Checker
Pull the heading outline out of any page and see it as a structure rather than a wall of markup. Missing H1s, skipped levels and empty headings are flagged, and nav and footer headings can be filtered out.
Headings are an outline, not a type scale
Nearly every heading problem comes from the same habit: choosing a heading level because of how big it looks. The levels describe nesting — an H3 is a subsection of the H2 above it — and font size is a separate concern that CSS should handle.
| Pattern | Verdict |
|---|---|
| H1 › H2 › H2 › H3 | Correct — H3 nests under the H2 |
| H1 › H3 › H4 | Skips H2 — outline has a gap |
| H2 › H1 › H2 | H1 is not first — structure is inverted |
| (no H1) | No top-level heading at all |
A quick way to test your own page: read only the headings, in order, and ignore everything else. If that reads like a coherent table of contents, the structure is doing its job. If it reads like a list of unrelated fragments, the levels are probably being used for emphasis.
Related tools
- Keyword Density Checker — check the body copy under those headings.
- SERP Preview — Google rewrites titles using the H1, so compare them side by side.
- Schema Generator — turn a clean outline into Article or FAQ structured data.
Frequently asked questions
Can a page have more than one H1?
In HTML5 it is valid, and Google's John Mueller has said explicitly that multiple H1s are fine. In practice a single H1 is still the safer choice, because more than one usually means headings are being chosen for their font size rather than their place in the structure — and that tends to come with other outline problems.
Is skipping from H2 to H4 actually a problem?
It is not a ranking penalty, but it does break the outline that screen reader users navigate by. Someone jumping between headings hits a level-4 heading with no level 3 above it and loses the thread. It is an accessibility issue first, and a signal of careless structure second.
Do headings affect rankings?
Indirectly and modestly. Google uses headings to understand page structure and to identify sections worth surfacing as a featured snippet or a jump link. The H1 also matters because Google frequently uses it when rewriting a title tag it does not like. Headings are not a strong ranking factor on their own.
Should the H1 match the title tag?
They should cover the same topic, not be identical. The title competes in a result list and can carry the brand; the H1 confirms to a visitor who has just arrived that they are in the right place. When the two share almost no words, Google is more likely to rewrite your title — this tool flags that case.
Why does my page show headings I did not write?
Navigation menus, cookie banners and footers commonly contain headings. They are part of the real outline, so this tool counts them, but they are rarely what you are trying to inspect. Use the toggle to hide headings inside nav, header and footer elements.
Do empty headings matter?
Yes. An empty heading is still announced as a heading by assistive technology, which is confusing, and it almost always exists for spacing or styling. Those cases should be a div with CSS instead.