How to Apply a Logical Heading Hierarchy

Why it matters

Before a model extracts an answer, it segments the page — and headings are one of the clearest signals for where one idea ends and the next begins. A clean hierarchy (one H1, nested H2s and H3s) gives the model a reliable outline; a page with no headings, skipped levels, or styling-driven heading tags gives it a jumbled map, and the wrong passage gets pulled.

Descriptive, question-based headings do double duty: they tell the model what each section answers, and they match the way users phrase queries — so "What is GEO?" as an H2 lines up directly with the question a person asks an AI assistant.

What good looks like

The heading outline reads like a table of contents a stranger could follow:

• Exactly one H1, naming the page's primary concept.
• H2s for major sections, optional H3s for sub-tasks or detail — no skipped levels.
• Headings are self-contained — descriptive when read in isolation, not "Introduction" or "More".
• Question-based headings ("What is GEO?", "How does it work?") wherever the section answers a question.
• Heading levels reflect structure, never font size — styling is the stylesheet's job.

Step by step

1. Use exactly one H1 The H1 is the page's primary concept — its title. One per page. If you feel you need two, the page covers two topics and should be split.
2. Structure sections with H2, detail with H3 Each major section is an H2; sub-points within it are H3s. Keep the tree shallow and logical — most pages need only H1 → H2 → H3.
3. Never skip levels for styling Don't jump from H2 to H4 because H4 "looks right". If you want a smaller-looking heading, style the correct level in CSS. Skipped levels break the outline a model infers.
4. Write self-contained, descriptive headings A heading should make sense lifted out of the page. Replace generic labels ("Introduction", "Overview", "Details") with what the section actually says ("What GEO changes about search").
5. Prefer question-based headings Where a section answers a question, phrase the heading as that question. "What is GEO?" is clearer than "Introduction" because it maps to a real user query and signals the section's job precisely.

Worked examples

H1  Welcome
  H3  Introduction
  H3  More info
  (H2 skipped; generic labels;
   headings styled by size)

H1  Generative Engine Optimisation
  H2  What is GEO?
  H2  How does GEO work?
    H3  Structure and schema
    H3  Authority signals
  H2  Why does GEO matter now?

Common mistakes