{"id":2029,"date":"2021-12-11T09:38:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-11T09:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seopolarity.com\/blog\/?p=2029"},"modified":"2021-12-11T14:17:20","modified_gmt":"2021-12-11T14:17:20","slug":"are-html-heading-tags-h2-h6-used-in-google-ranking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seopolarity.com\/blog\/are-html-heading-tags-h2-h6-used-in-google-ranking\/2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Are HTML Heading Tags (H2-H6) Used in Google Ranking?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a previous article, we investigated the evidence for H1 tags as a Google ranking factor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s take a look at the remaining heading tags, from H2 to H6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will using these tags help your content rank higher in Google search results?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, can incorporating specific keywords into H2 to H6 tagged headings help you rank for those terms?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s take a look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

H2-H6 Tags As A Ranking Factor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The belief is that the keywords used in H2-H6 subheadings are more heavily weighted in Google’s algorithm than words in plain text and that tags are thus a ranking factor in and of themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Must Read: Are H1 Tags Considered a Google Ranking Factor?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Evidence For HTML Heading Tags As A Ranking Factor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Subheadings did seem to count as ranking factors once upon a time, around 2005-2010. Including your target keywords in higher-level subheadings (typically your primary keyword in your H1 and secondary keywords in H2s and H3s) aided in your ranking for those keywords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was back when the text as a whole, as well as what you did with it, was given more weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For sites like Suite101, About.com, and WikiHow, using a specific keyword density and placing keywords in specific places was considered best practice. These sites were a nightmare for Google because much of the criteria it used to assess webpage quality worked in their favor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a solid technical foundation and the perceived authority that publishing massive amounts of content (and obtaining links to that content) provided, on-page SEO tactics like optimizing your subheadings were a recipe for high rankings that required only the addition of water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fast forward to August 2020, and Google’s John Mueller explicitly stated that headings are a ranking factor:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo headings on a page help us to better understand the content on the page.<\/p>

Headings on the page are not the only ranking factor that we have. We look at the content on its own as well.<\/p>

But sometimes having a clear heading on a page gives us a little bit more information on what that section is about.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

He went on to say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd when it comes to text on a page, a heading is a really strong signal telling us this part of the page is about this topic.<\/p>

\u2026whether you put that into an H1 tag or an H2 tag or H5 or whatever, that doesn\u2019t matter so much.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The Case Against H2-H6 Tags As A Ranking Factor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If all you learned from the above interview excerpts is that Mueller believes heading tags is a strong signal, you probably believe they are far more valuable than they are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We know that pages can rank even without any heading tags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We all know that adding a specific keyword to a heading tag will not propel you to the top of Google’s rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mueller stated that heading tags:<\/p>\n\n\n\n