ON-PAGE SEO
Heading Structure Checker
Headings are the outline of a page: readers scan them, screen reader users jump between them, and search engines use them to understand the topics. Themes and page builders often produce headings out of order. This check shows the outline exactly as the HTML has it.
- Checks the live page
- Public addresses only
- Free, no sign-up
- CheckMissing or several H1 headings
- CheckSkipped levels, such as an H2 followed by an H4
- CheckEmpty headings
- CheckVery long headings
Free
no sign-up
Live
fetched when you run the check
5 checks
what the tool looks at
30 a minute
checks per visitor, to keep it free
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HOW IT WORKS
How to use the Heading Structure Checker
One public page URL.
Enter the page’s URL.
Read the outline: indentation shows each heading’s level.
Fix the level of headings that skip a step, and give empty ones text.
WHAT IT CHECKS
What it looks at, and how to read it.
Heading counts by level, the full outline with each heading’s text, and checks on its structure.
What it checks
- Missing or several H1 headings
- Skipped levels, such as an H2 followed by an H4
- Empty headings
- Very long headings
- Pages with no headings at all
How to read the results
- One H1 that names the topic, then H2 sections, is the clearest outline.
- Several H1s are allowed in HTML, but one main heading is easier for everyone.
- Skipped levels are a usability and accessibility issue more than a ranking one.
GOOD TO KNOW
Common mistakes, an example and the limits.
Common mistakes
- Choosing heading levels for their font size instead of their place in the outline.
- Headings in sidebars and footers that come before the main H1.
- A logo or icon wrapped in an empty heading.
A worked example
A product page’s theme puts the product name in an H3 and the shop name in the H1. Swapping them makes the product the page’s main heading.
Limitations
- Checks the HTML the server sends. Content a page adds with JavaScript after loading is not seen.
- Some sites block or challenge automated requests; then the result shows what a crawler without a browser would get.
FAQ
Questions about the Heading Structure Checker
Straight answers about what it does and where its limits are.
Does Google penalise more than one H1?
No. Google has said several H1s are fine. One clear H1 is still the simplest way to say what a page is about.
Why is a heading I can see missing?
It may be added by JavaScript after the page loads, or styled text that is not a heading element. This check reads the HTML the server sends.
Need this for a whole website, over time?
The NdovuSEOLabs platform connects your own Search Console, analytics and server logs, and audits every page on a schedule.