H1 Heading

The H1 (Heading Level 1) is the most-important heading on the page. Semantically it's the page's title; visually it's typically the largest text in the hero section. In HTML: `<h1>...</h1>`.

Rules of thumb: one H1 per page (multiple H1s confuse Google's understanding of the page's main topic, and they confuse screen readers); contain the primary target keyword in the H1 (or close variants); keep it under 70 characters for readability; match the H1 to the page's actual content (don't promise something in the H1 the page doesn't deliver).

H1 vs title tag: the title tag is what appears in the browser tab and search-results listing (`<title>` element); the H1 is what appears as the page's visible main heading. They're often similar but rarely identical. Title tag is optimized for search-results CTR; H1 is optimized for matching user expectation after they click.

Heading hierarchy: H1 → H2 → H3 → H4 → H5 → H6, used in order. Don't skip levels (don't go H1 → H3); don't use heading levels for visual sizing (use CSS for that — heading levels are for semantic structure). H2s section the page; H3s subdivide H2 sections; H4-H6 are rarely needed except in long-form documentation.

Common H1 mistakes: missing H1 entirely (often on home pages where the design starts with a hero image); multiple H1s (an artifact of CMSes that wrap every section in an H1); H1s that are just the brand name ('Website Killer' tells the user nothing); H1s that don't match the page's purpose ('Welcome' on a pricing page).