Heading Structure Auditor
Paste your HTML or headings and audit your H1-H6 structure for a single H1, skipped levels, and a clean outline that search and AI engines can follow.
Free to use. Enter your email once to copy or download. Runs entirely in your browser.
Paste your HTML or headings
Paste raw HTML, or a plain list of headings (one per line, optionally with leading# marks like Markdown to set the level). The audit updates as you type. Nothing is sent anywhere: this runs entirely in your browser.
Audit result
Text report
Copy the report to share the outline and every issue with its fix. Runs entirely in your browser: nothing is uploaded.
Why heading structure matters
Your headings are the outline of the page. A clean H1-H6 hierarchy tells Google what the page is about and how its sections relate, and it gives AI answer engines a map they can parse instead of guessing. When the outline is clear, both are far more likely to pull the right passage as an answer.
A good H1 is the one thing this h1 checker looks for first: one H1 per page, describing what the page is about in plain words. Everything else nests under it in order, H2 for sections, H3 for points inside a section, and so on, without jumping levels.
Common heading mistakes
The mistakes this heading structure checker flags, each making the outline harder to follow:
- No H1 at all, or more than one H1 on the page.
- A page that opens on an H2 or H3 instead of the H1.
- Skipped levels, like an H2 followed straight by an H4.
- Empty headings: a heading element with no text content.
- A very long heading, over 120 characters.
Run the h1 tag checker above on any page, read the outline it builds, and fix the issues it lists. A tidy structure is one of the cheapest SEO and AEO wins you can ship.
Frequently asked questions
Can I paste just a list of headings instead of full HTML?
Yes. Paste a plain list of headings, one per line, optionally with leading # marks like Markdown to set the level. The audit works from either full HTML or that plain list.
What happens if my heading list has no # marks?
Every line defaults to H1 and the audit flags the levels as ambiguous, since it could not be determined from a plain list. Paste the page HTML, or prefix each line with # marks (# H1, ## H2, and so on) to set the levels.
How many H1s should a page have?
One. A good H1 is the one thing this h1 checker looks for first: one H1 per page, describing what the page is about in plain words. Keep one H1 per page and demote any extra H1s to H2 or lower.
What counts as a "skipped level"?
A heading that is deeper than the previous heading by more than one level, like an H2 followed straight by an H4. Use the intermediate level here, or add an intermediate heading, so levels step down one at a time.
Is there a heading length limit this checks?
Yes, headings over 120 characters are flagged as very long. Tighten it to a short, scannable label and move the detail into the body text.
Copy or download your result
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Take it further
Clean headings, then a page AI can quote.
A tidy outline is step one. The Content Optimizer scores every passage for how well AI engines can extract it.
Want this done for your whole site, and tracked over time?
This h1 checker audits one page's headings. Winning across Google and AI answer engines takes clean structure, content, and tracking working together. On a discovery call we map that for your whole site.
Book a free discovery callNot ready to book? Send us a message and tell us what you are trying to fix.
Glad it clicked. Want this done across your whole site?
Book a free discovery callThanks, this helps.