SEO Mistake: H2 Before H1 and How to Correct It

This document provides clear, actionable steps on how to rectify the problem, including HTML reordering, CSS adjustments, and considerations for mobile responsiveness and SEO testing. By following these guidelines, developers and content creators can ensure their web pages are well-structured, easily navigable, and optimized for search engines.

It is generally considered important to resolve the issue of having H2 headlines above your H1 page title. Here's why and how to fix it:

Why It Matters:

Semantic Structure and SEO:

• HTML headings (H1, H2, H3, etc.) provide a hierarchical structure to your page's content. Search engines like Google use this structure to understand the page's topic and organization.

• The H1 tag is intended to be the most important heading, representing the main topic of the page. Having H2s before it disrupts this logical structure, potentially confusing search engines and impacting your SEO.

• Screen readers and assistive technologies also rely on this structure to help users navigate the page. An incorrect heading order can make the page less accessible.

User Experience:

• While the visual appearance might be fine, the underlying structure is important for consistency and predictability. Users expect the main page title (H1) to be the most prominent heading.

How to Fix It:

Reorder the HTML:

• The most straightforward solution is to move the H1 tag above the carousel banner and its H2 headlines in your HTML code.

• This ensures that the H1 is the first major heading on the page, establishing the correct hierarchy.

Adjust Visual Styling (CSS):

• After reordering the HTML, you might need to adjust your CSS to maintain the desired visual appearance.

• Here are some common scenarios and solutions:

  • If you want the H1 to be visually prominent:

    • Increase the font size, weight, and add any other styling to make it stand out.

  • If you want the carousel headlines to still be visually strong:

    • Use CSS to increase the font size and weight of the H2 elements within the carousel, so they are still very noticeable.

    • You can also use CSS to change the order of the visual display, while keeping the correct HTML semantic order. Using css properties such as "order" in flexbox, or grid, could allow you to visually place the carousel above the H1, while the H1 is still first in the html source code.

  • Consider the layout:

    • Ensure that the H1 is positioned in a way that makes sense within the overall page design. You might need to adjust margins, padding, or other layout properties.

Consider alternative solutions:

If you absolutely must have the carousel visually at the top of the page, consider using CSS to visually reorder the elements while keeping the H1 first in the HTML. This is a more advanced technique but can be useful in specific situations.

I have provided a detailed CSS example for visually reordering H1 and H2 elements in a separate post called CSS Reordering Is Your Secret Weapon.

Key Considerations:

• Mobile Responsiveness: Make sure your CSS adjustments work well on different screen sizes.

• Accessibility: Test your page with a screen reader to ensure that the heading structure is logical and easy to navigate.

• SEO Tools: Use SEO tools to analyze your page and check for any heading structure errors.

By making these changes, you'll improve your page's semantic structure, accessibility, and potentially its SEO performance.