multiple h1 tags

[boxby]

Why are multiple h1 tags bad.

As many reasons as possible please, I have an arguement to resolve!!

[openmind]

From a non-SEO expert I would have said that because the H1 tag is used for primary keywords and is looked on as a header for a block of text, overuse would dilute the importance of the text enclosed within that tag.

Aesthetically it also impacts on the code structure and grammar.

[freelancer]

its to do with semantics and page organization.

Header tags descend in seeming importance (and size by default) and some people suggest you only have 1 H1 (as its the most important) 2 H2's, 3 H3's e.t.c

[awebapart]

Why are multiple h1 tags bad.

Who says they are bad?

Used in moderation they should be OK. If you think about it the tags for structuring content within a document/page are

TITLE
-H1
--H2
---H3
---H3
--H2
---H3
-H1
--H2

If the rule was that you should only have one H1 tag then wouldn't it be serving the same purpose as the TITLE tag and therefore be redundant?

Multiple H1 tags if used in moderation and where necessary shouldn't be bad for SEO. However what is also good for SEO is focusing your pages. This might sound like a contradiction but if you had a health website and were focusing a page on say 'zen meditation' one possible structure could be:

TITLE = zen meditation
-H1 = what is zen meditation
...
-H1 = history of zen meditation
...
-H1 = zen meditation benefits
...
etc

[Alvin]

Paul's on the button.

Focus of what the page is about is primary.

by adding an H1 tag with different focus could be bad news.

but no problem having more than one H1 targeted.

Alvin

[Case]

Is it good practice to have some navigation in header tags?

So you have your main h1, then perhaps a h2 and under that some important links that are h3?

[RawRob]

I've got to say, I think that the actual content is a lot more important than how many H1 tags, etc you use

(My home page doesn't have any H tags, and is currently at position 9 for a very good search term. Ok so possibly I can do better, but I haven't really spent much time at all on SEO, maybe I could get to the top spot with a bit of work!)

[awebapart]

Is it good practice to have some navigation in header tags?

So you have your main h1, then perhaps a h2 and under that some important links that are h3?

Header tags are there to provide a header/container for some on-page content that follows. If there is no following on-page content, as in using h3 tags just for links, then this isn't really correct use. However if you have, say, a news section to your site, with article titles and introductory paragraphs which then link out to more detailed pages, then I guess the article title could be both a link and a header tag, since it does have on-page content following it (but for SEO purposes it should be the more detailed page that you should be focusing and targeting those keywords for).

[OldWelshGuy]

Guys, you need to take your brain offline.

Imagine a newspaper with 10 headlines on the front page.

Header tags ar a spillover from the traditional publishing medium. It isn't 'how many' but 'how you use them' .

Ten H1 tags with no H2. H3 etc and repetitive copy and repetitive use of keywords in them all is going to nail your ass to a tree.

But if you have lots of copy on the page, then it is not so bad to split it.

When using H tags, think of a newspaper.

[boxby]

Well, let's put it in context then - it's for this page!