In the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) community, one of the most common questions is whether having multiple H1 tags on a webpage can hurt its Google SEO ranking.
Many SEO Analyzer tools show a warning or even a red flag when it detects a page with more than one H1 tag.
Does having multiple H1 tags hurt your Google page ranking?
H1 tags define the most crucial heading of a page, usually the page title. For many years, SEO practitioners believed that a single H1 tag was necessary for maintaining a high SEO ranking on Google. However, this notion has become outdated with advancements in Google's algorithm.
Google has continuously evolved to better understand web pages' structure, content, and intent than following fixed rules.
Its algorithm can now differentiate between the various elements on a page, making it more adept at identifying the context and relevance of content, regardless of the number of H1 tags present.
Several reputable sources in the SEO community have confirmed this shift. For instance, John Mueller, a Senior Webmaster Trends Analyst at Google, has openly stated that Google's algorithms are designed to work with many H1 tags. Furthermore, various SEO tests and case studies have shown no negative impact on rankings using multiple H1 tags.
The fear of employing multiple H1 tags stems from outdated SEO practices. In modern web development, it's common to see numerous H1 tags due to the use of HTML5, which allows for one H1 tag per sectioning element (like <nav>, <aside>, and <article>). This semantic structuring is accepted and encouraged for creating accessible, well-structured content.
Conclusion
The belief that multiple H1 tags are hurting your Google SEO ranking is a myth. Modern SEO practices have moved beyond stringent header tag hierarchies, focusing instead on delivering quality, relevant content and content intent in a well-structured and accessible manner. So, you can use multiple H1 tags if necessary.
However, we should focus on the user experience and the overall structure of your webpage.