What This Heading Checker Shows You
Paste a URL and the checker pulls every H1–H6 tag from the page, in source order. You get four things back:
- A headings map. Your outline drawn as an indented tree, color-coded by level, so a missing H2 or a stray H4 is obvious at a glance.
- An H1 check. Whether the page has an H1, and how many.
- A structure score and grade. Out of 100, based on the rules in the next section.
- Issues and fixes. Each problem is flagged on the heading that causes it, with a suggested fix. You can copy the full report or share a link to it.
The checker reads the page's HTML as the server sends it. That means it also counts headings in your header, sidebar and footer, which are part of the outline crawlers see. It won't see headings that JavaScript adds after the page loads.
What the Checker Flags and How the Score Works
Every page starts at 100. Each issue takes points off, up to a cap per issue type:
| Issue | What triggers it | Points |
|---|
| Missing H1 | No H1 on the page | −30 |
| Extra H1s | Each H1 after the first | −15 each, max −30 |
| Skipped level | Going more than one level deeper, e.g. H2 straight to H4 | −10 each, max −30 |
| Duplicate heading | Same text as an earlier heading | −5 each, max −20 |
| Too long | More than 60 characters | −3 each, max −15 |
| Too vague | Under 8 characters, or a generic label such as “Overview” or “More” | −3 each, max −15 |
Grades: A 90–100, B 75–89, C 60–74, D 40–59, F below 40.
These are editorial rules for a clear, predictable outline. They aren't Google requirements. Treat the score as a checklist of things to review, not a ranking factor.
Why Heading Structure Matters for SEO and AI Answers
For search engines, headings help describe what each part of a page covers. Google is relaxed about the details. John Mueller has said a site will “rank perfectly fine with no H1 tags or with five H1 tags”. A tidy outline won't lift rankings by itself, but it makes the page easier to understand.
For AI answers, the unit that matters is the passage. Tools like ChatGPT quote sections, not whole pages. A descriptive heading marks where a section starts and what it's about, so the text under it still makes sense when it's lifted out on its own. That's why vague labels like “Overview” cost you: the heading carries no topic. Our guide to heading hierarchy for AI compares a broken outline with a clean one, and how to get cited by ChatGPT covers the rest of the checklist.
For readers, including people using screen readers who jump from heading to heading, a logical outline is how they find their way around a page.
How to Fix the Most Common Heading Problems
No H1, or several
A missing H1 usually means the page title is styled text, not a heading. Extra H1s often come from a theme that wraps the logo or site name in an H1 on every page. Keep one H1 that names the page's topic, and turn the others into H2s or plain text. Google says multiple H1s won't hurt rankings. We still flag them because one clear topic label is simpler for readers and machines alike.
Skipped levels
Jumps like H2 to H4 almost always happen because a heading tag was picked for its font size. Choose the level that matches the outline, then restyle it with CSS. Going back up, from H4 to H2, is fine and isn't flagged.
Vague or duplicate headings
Rename headings so each one names its topic: “Pricing for Teams” instead of “Details”, “Battery Life” instead of a third “Key Features”. Unique, specific headings are easier to scan, and each section can stand on its own.
Long headings
If a heading runs past 60 characters, it's usually carrying a sentence's worth of detail. Keep the topic in the heading and move the detail into the first sentence below it.