Headlines are much more than just bold text – they are essential tools for anyone who wants to be successful online.
In times when users’ attention spans are getting shorter and shorter, clear and meaningful headlines are crucial to keeping visitors on your site. But headlines not only play an important role in user-friendliness, they can also have a significant impact on your search engine optimisation (SEO).
The importance of headings for search engine optimisation
Search engines like Google rely heavily on headings to capture the content and structure of a website.
Professionally designed and optimised H tags can help you rank better in search results. However, headings are not a direct ranking factor – their impact on your SEO is more indirect:
Well thought-out headings significantly improve the readability of your content. If visitors can immediately recognise what your page is about, they will stay longer. A high dwell time and low bounce rate are positive signals for Google and can have a positive effect on your ranking.
A meaningful H1 headline that aptly summarises the topic of your page can significantly increase the click-through rates in the search results. Users who are looking for exactly what you offer are more likely to click on your page if the headline promises that they will find what they are looking for here. High click-through rates are an important ranking signal for Google.
Headings can be captured in the structured data of your page and thus lead to more appealing rich snippets in the search results. These enriched search results with additional information such as reviews or prices stand out more and often achieve higher click-through rates.
With the help of machine learning technologies, Google can now crawl not only entire pages but also individual sections and display them in the search results. Headings play a central role here, as they give Google an indication of the relevance of a section. This increases your chances of getting featured snippets.
The difference between regular and SEO headings
Before we get to the best practices for SEO headings, it’s important to understand the difference between regular headings and those that are specifically optimised for SEO.
Regular headings are primarily used to structure and read a text for the human reader. They summarise the core statements of the respective sections and make it easier to navigate through longer content.
SEO headings, on the other hand, must fulfil additional criteria in order to be recognised as such by search engines and taken into account for the ranking. These include
- Semantically correct labelling with h1, h2, h3 etc. tags
- The inclusion of relevant keywords
- A clear, memorable formulation
- An appropriate length and structure
- The logical sequence of the headline hierarchy
While regular headings can be creative and figurative, SEO headings must be more precise and descriptive in order to optimise the page content for search engines.
Optimum length and structure of SEO headings
The most important aspects of SEO-friendly headings include their length and their hierarchical structure within the page. Here are some guidelines:
- Length: Maximum 60-70 characters
- There should only be one H1 per page that reflects the main topic
- The H1 should contain the most important keyword
H2 headings:
- Length: Maximum 50-60 characters
- Several H2s per page are possible for structuring into sub-chapters
- H2s should each contain a relevant subtopic and keyword
H3-H6 headings:
- Length: approx. 40-50 characters
- Used for further subdivision into sections
- Contain keywords for the respective detailed topics
Headlines and keywords: It's all about the right dose
The clever placement of keywords in your headlines is a central aspect of search engine optimisation.
However, caution is advised here: While including relevant keywords signals to Google that your page matches the search term, overloading it with keywords can be counterproductive and be seen as keyword stuffing.
The key is to find a natural balance. In the H1 heading, focus on the main keyword from your keyword research that best summarises the topic of your page. In the H2 to H6 headings, you can then include other relevant keywords that relate to detailed topics.
However, avoid imposing keywords or piling them up in unnatural formulations.
Ultimately, you are writing for people, not machines. Clear, understandable and memorable wording is more important than artificial keyword density.
Headlines as conversion boosters: Power words and numbers
In addition to SEO optimisation, well-chosen headlines can also increase your conversions by attracting the attention and interest of your visitors. Use the psychology of human decision-making for this:
- Power words: Words such as “simple”, “inexpensive”, “secret tricks” or “unbelievable” arouse curiosity and emotion.
- Numbers: Concrete numbers or counts (“7 tips…”) suggest structure, clarity and tangible value.
- Claims/Provocations: Strong statements such as “The 1 thing everyone else overlooks” or questions such as “Do you also make these 5 mistakes?” encourage further reading.
- Customer relevance: Personalised addresses such as ‘For salespeople: How to sell 30% more’ increase relevance and appeal specifically to target groups.
Test headlines for optimum performance
As with all SEO and conversion measures, one thing is very important when optimising headlines: test, test, test! Don’t be fooled by supposed best practices, but use A/B testing to find out which headlines perform best with your target audience.
Vary the wording, length, keywords and attention-grabbing elements and track the impact on metrics such as
- Click-through rates in search results
- Time spent and bounce rate
- Conversions and sales
- Organic visibility and ranking
Common mistakes in headline optimisation
To ensure that your headlines work to their full potential, you should avoid some common mistakes:
- Headings that are too long: Headings longer than 70 characters can be cut off in search results and appear cluttered.
- Imprecise wording: Embellished puns or expressions without a clear link to the content can confuse visitors.
- Lack of hierarchy: Without logical nesting from H1 to H6, your content loses structure and clarity.
- Too many keywords: Excessive keyword stuffing in headings can be classed as spam.
- No keyword optimisation: Completely omitting keywords makes it difficult for search engines to assign your content.
- Hard to read formatting: Very long headings in one line or font sizes that are too small make it difficult to read.
Conclusion: SEO headlines
SEO headlines are the key to a user-friendly and successful website. They are essential in grabbing the attention of users and keeping them on your site.
At the same time, they improve the visibility of your content in search engines and increase the click-through rate and time spent by your visitors.
By striking the right balance between a clear structure, relevant keywords and appealing wording, you can ensure that your headlines are optimal for both your readers and the search engines.
Use Loyamo’s expertise to take your SEO headlines to the next level and increase the success of your website.
