HTML Headings Checker: Free H1-H6 Analysis

This HTML headings checker pulls every H1 to H6 tag from a public web page and lists them in page order, with a count for each level. It flags a missing H1, multiple H1s, skipped levels, empty headings and headings that run long. It is built for SEOs, writers and developers who want a fast look at a page's outline.

What Are HTML Headings and How Many Levels Exist?

HTML headings are the six title tags, h1 through h6, that label the sections of a web page. H1 is the highest rank and H6 the lowest. Browsers show an H1 in the largest type by default, but the number signals rank in the outline, not font size. You can restyle any level with CSS.

Think of a book. The H1 is the book title, H2s are chapters, H3s are sections inside a chapter, and H4 to H6 are smaller subdivisions. Search engines and screen reader users both rely on that outline. People who use assistive technology often jump from heading to heading to scan a page, so a broken outline makes the page harder to use. Google's Search Central documentation also recommends meaningful headings that show the hierarchy of a page's topics.

Are HTML headings the same as the HTML header tag?

No. The header element is a container for a page or section's intro area, such as a logo and navigation. Heading tags (h1 to h6) are the titles themselves. This checker reports heading tags only, so a page can have a header element and still show zero headings.

How to Use the HTML Headings Checker

To check HTML headers, enter a page address and run the check. Each step below matches a control you see on the page.

1. Type or paste the page address into the Website URL field (for example, https://example.com). If you leave out the https:// part, the tool adds it for you.
2. Click Check Headings. The button reads Checking... while the page loads.
3. Read any issue messages at the top of the results. These cover page-level problems such as a missing H1.
4. Look at the counts for H1, H2, H3, H4, H5 and H6, plus the total number of headings found.
5. Scan the heading list in page order. Each row shows the tag, the heading text and a short note if that heading has a problem.
6. Use the copy button beside a row to copy one heading's text, or Copy All to copy the whole list with each tag in front of its text.

Worked Example: Auditing a Running Shoes Guide

Say you check a guide page and the tool returns seven headings. The counts show H1: 1, H2: 3, H3: 2, H4: 1.

• H1: Best Running Shoes for Beginners
• H2: How to Choose a Pair
• H3: Cushioning
• H3: Fit and Sizing
• H2: Our Top Picks
• H4: Budget Pick (flagged: Skipped heading level, H2 to H4)
• H2: Frequently Asked Questions

The page has exactly one H1, which is correct, so no page-level warning appears. The problem is the H4 that follows an H2. The fix is to change "Budget Pick" to an H3, which keeps the outline continuous: H1, then H2, then H3.

Copy All gives you the outline as plain text. Paste it into a document to see whether the page reads like a sensible table of contents. If the headings alone do not tell the story of the page, the content probably needs reorganizing.

How Do You Read and Act on the Results?

Each message points to a specific structural problem, and each has a direct fix. Page-level messages appear at the top. Heading-level notes appear under the heading they affect, and only the first problem for each heading is shown.

What a healthy result looks like

A strong page has one H1, several H2s for the main sections, and H3s only where an H2 genuinely splits into parts. The total count should fit the page length. A 300-word page with 15 headings is over-sectioned, while a 3,000-word article with three headings is hard to scan.

What a poor result looks like

Warning signs include zero H1s, a stack of H1s from a theme that wraps the logo and every widget title in H1, or a list that jumps around in level. Navigation menus, sidebars and footers can add headings too, so the list may include text that is not part of your article. Decide whether each one belongs.

When Should You Use an HTML Headings Checker?

Use it any time you need to see a page's outline without opening the source code. It helps in these situations:

• Before publishing: confirm a new post has one H1 and a logical set of H2s.
• Content audits: check older posts for missing or duplicate H1s that crept in during redesigns.
• Accessibility reviews: spot skipped levels and empty headings that confuse screen reader navigation.
• Template debugging: find out whether a theme adds extra H1 tags to every page.
• Content planning: copy the headings of a page you want to improve and rework the outline in a draft.

It also works for a quick look at an existing page's structure when you are rewriting it. If you want a second view of the same outline, the heading structure extractor is a good companion.

Best Practices, Common Mistakes and Troubleshooting

The most reliable heading structure is simple: one H1, descriptive H2s, and H3s only where needed. Follow these rules and fix the usual problems.

• Write headings for people first. Put the main keyword in the H1 where it fits naturally, and use related terms in H2s. Do not repeat the same phrase in every heading.
• Do not choose a tag for its size. If you want smaller text, use CSS. Picking an H4 because it looks right creates skipped levels.
• Keep headings short. The tool flags anything over 70 characters. A heading that long usually carries a full sentence of detail that belongs in the paragraph below.
• Make each heading distinct. Two H2s with identical text give readers no way to tell sections apart.
• Align the H1 with the title tag. They do not have to match, but they should describe the same topic. Compare the two with the Google SERP snippet preview.
• Phrase question headings naturally. If a section answers a question, use the question as the heading. You can then turn those Q&A pairs into FAQ schema markup.

Troubleshooting a surprising result

If the tool says "Please enter a valid URL," check for typos or spaces in the address. If it says the address is not reachable as a public address, the page is not publicly accessible, which includes pages behind a login or on a private network. If you see more H1s than you expected, the extra ones are usually in the header, a hero banner or a widget. If the URL redirects, the tool follows the redirect, so you may be looking at a different version of the page than you intended. A canonical tag checker can help you confirm which version is the preferred one.

What Are the Limits of This Checker?

The checker reports the structure it finds in the page's HTML, not whether your headings are well written. It cannot judge relevance, keyword fit or tone, so review those yourself.

Headings that a page creates only after loading, using scripts, may not appear in the results. Headings hidden by CSS but present in the HTML still count. A message such as "No headings found on this page" means no h1 to h6 tags were found in what the page returned. Text that only looks like a heading, such as bold text in a paragraph, is not a heading tag and will not be listed. That is a good reason to convert it to a real heading.

The one-H1 rule is a widely used best practice, not a hard requirement. HTML allows more than one, and Google can handle pages that have them. Still, a single H1 keeps the outline clear for readers and assistive technology.

Check Your Page Outline Now

A clean heading outline makes your content easier to scan, easier to navigate with assistive tools and easier for search engines to interpret. Enter your URL above, click Check Headings, fix any flags and run it again to confirm. For more checks of this kind, browse the On-Page SEO and Meta Tags tools. If the page also carries a lot of markup around little text, the code to text ratio checker is a sensible next step.