H2 Tags, SEO, and You

website seoHaving uniquely styled headlines (H1, H2, H3, H4, H5 etc) is a great way to keep your websites code clean and lean. There's some SEO benefit to choosing the words in these headlines carefully.

Top 5 SEO Ranking Factors that are More Important than a Keyworded H2 Subheading

  1. A perfectly chosen h1 and meta title
  2. An alluring, benefit-offering meta description
  3. Delivering on the promise created in number 2
  4. Time on site / click-and-bounce metrics
  5. Branded Search

Google doesn't release the details of their algorithm publically, but across hundreds of sites we've analyzed at iNET there's evidence to suggest a few things:

H2s, H3s, and H4s represent a hierarchy of content structure

Think about the way you learned to outline a paper in high school:

I. Milwaukee Brewers - My All-Time Favorite Players (H2)

A. Position Players (H3)

i. Ryan Braun (H4)

ii. Prince Fielder (H4)

B. Pitchers (H3)

i. CC Sabathia (H4)

ii. Yovanni Gallardo (H4)

If you model your content like this Google is likely understanding your h4s and qualifying your h3s and your h3s and qualifying your h2s.

H2 and H3 headline STYLES

There's a lot to be said for making your content look great. I've evaluated dozens of resumes and cover letters - you can make a lot of judgments about who "gets" content content presentation before reading one word. Make it look good. (I was tempted to go all META here and style the heck out of this article - work to do!)

How to Use H2 headlines for SEO

Keywording still matters. The keywords at the beginning of your piece and in the headlines are clear road maps to Google signalling what your content is about. An under-consider variable is probably the size and placement of the keyword in relation to the rest of the content. When in doubt, think "If I were writing a search engine, how would I tell a robot to understand a page.

Something like this:

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Milwaukee Brewers Tailgate Tips

Everything you want to know about Shuttles and Busing

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...probably reads a lot different than something like this:

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Milwaukee Brewers Tailgate Tips

Everything you want to know about Shuttles and Busing

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The word size signals a hierarchy of importance - with or without the h2 heading tag. Anecdotally I've seen sites pull traffic from words only mentioned above the fold by designers without being wrapped in an h2 tag.

 

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Everything you just read is an update to this older content:

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Using Subheadings to Sell

Website designers get all the glory. Viewers will judge the quality of a website before reading a single word of your copy. Creative-genius inspired website design transmits ideas visually and instantaneously.

If you’re writing web copy for a top notch web development company like iNET Web, you’re forced to compete with this every day. Don’t be discouraged. Your web copy is just as integral to the website's success as quality design. So here are a few simple ways sub-headings will make your writing more effective.

Organize web copy for your reader with subheadings

Don’t get too jealous of designers. They can only convey a few main points. It’s up to web copywriters to flush out the details for the website viewer.

Your website readers are more accurately described as website scanners or skimmers. You don’t need a psychology degree to experience the effects of having limitless information at your fingertips. Start doing research on a topic like “shortening attention spans in the modern era” and you’ll wind up on more interesting tangents, like local lunch options.

Effective subheadings prevent reader distraction by conveying your main points in just a few words. Subheadings make navigating your content easier by creating a helpful map. This outlining transforms intimidating walls of text into inviting, manageable chunks.

Find entry level writing jobs near Milwaukee, WI.

Get your copy found by keywording your subheadings.

Your writing has to be discovered before it has a chance to be read. Without search engine optimization, would-be readers won’t ever get close enough to your copy to even skim past it. Figure out what language your target audience uses to seek your solutions by using resources like Google AdWords. SEO for web copywriters in a nutshell: you need to write for how your customers search.

Using keywords in headlines is especially important, because search engines like Google and Bing use headings as guideposts to map out the contents of your writing. When uploading, use the H3 header to give your subheadings added significance.

Use your subheadings to sell!

Keywording is important, but your headlines must offer something more. Your readers have no REASON to take in any message beneath a descriptive headline like “Widgets have handles.” You reader is interested in benefits, not features.

Effective marketing headlines include directives and desires, and are written from a me-to-you perspective: “Look younger using widgets,” “Protect your family by installing a widget,” and so on. When coming up with headlines, ask yourself what your readers want, and why your product is better than the competitor’s. Think of what specific needs are being met.

In conclusion, effective Milwaukee web copywriting connects marketing to your customer’s needs and desires. At iNET Web, our creative genius inspired copywriters and Milwaukee SEO specialists use this principle to deliver online profitability and measurable results. Great web copy must be discovered, read and received.

Contact the expert Milwaukee website design team at iNET Web today: 262-574-9400

By: , iNET
June 2012

Creative Genius Marketing® - CreativeGeniusMarketing.com

Creative is an intangible. There aren’t many great creatives in radio. In branding there are less. In strategizing there are even less. Most companies have no BRAND. The products and services are amazing, the businesses are often brilliant. There is just nothing for consumers to grab and buckle themselves into. The web sites are also no influence in creating the brand, brand strategy, ad concept or ads.

iNET creative has dozens of mind traps and hooks. Duplicitous meanings and meanings left for the listener to decipher or wonder at. While these traps can get a listener stuck in a thought midstream over two, three, twenty exposures they force acceptance of the message and action. When they discover the hidden hooks listeners feel like insiders, part of the story and part of the brand.

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