SEO , Search Engine Optimization , is a set of practices aimed at improving the indexing and positioning of a site’s web pages on search engines.
Creating quality content is at the heart of SEO. However, to achieve optimal results in search engine results pages (SERPs), such content must have certain technical characteristics that facilitate analysis by search engines.
Two fundamental elements for creating optimized content are the Title Tag and the H1 . Let’s see what it is and what their role is.
What is the function of the Title Tag?
The Title Tag is an HTML element that specifies the title of a web page to search engines and users.
Technically, it’s a text string enclosed in <title> and </title> tags
When you search on Google, the results lists show clickable titles that lead to web pages corresponding to the searched content. These titles are represented by the Tag Title .
It is essential that this tag accurately reflects the content of the page, as it represents the main element by which both the search engine and the user evaluate the relevance of the response provided.
Google, in its documentation for developers, emphasizes the importance of high-quality titles, indicating them as crucial information for users in deciding which results to click.
it says that:
“Titles are often the main information people use to decide which results to click on, so it’s important that the text in your web page titles is high quality.”
What is the H1 tag?
H1, on the other hand, is the HTML tag that identifies the main title of content within a web page.
This tag is one of many header tags that define the hierarchical structure of information within a piece of content.
Heading Tag or header tag
The H1 highlights the focus of the article , while the H2s underline the topics connected to the main one, in practice they are the “titles” of the individual paragraphs within the same text.
When a paragraph identified by an H2 requires detailed explanations, H3s can be used to create subparagraphs. And so on up to the H6s.
Example of using H1 and other heading tags
Let’s take this article as an example, so as to immediately understand what the header tags are and how they are structured:
Here is the hierarchy of information published in this article:
- H1 : Title Tag and H1 in SEO: what are they and why are they important?
- H2 : What is the function of the Tag Title?
- H2: What is the H1 tag?
- H3 : Heading Tag
- H3 : Example of using H1 and other heading tags
- H2: Title Tag and H1 are not the same thing
Title tag and H1 are not the same thing
Tag Title and H1, being both titles, could be confused by those who do not directly deal with SEO or copywriting, which is why it is important to underline that they are absolutely not synonymous.
The Title Tag does not appear on the web page where the content is published. Simply put, it doesn’t match the title of the article you read above when opening a blog.
It is inserted directly into the HTML code and is more direct information to the search engine and less to the user.
The H1 is precisely the title of the article , as we have seen, it summarizes the theme of the content and contains the main keyword.
They are both very important elements for SEO, because they contribute to making the interpretation of the content simple by man and “machine”, to indexing it and positioning it in the SERP.
In summary, both the Tag Title and the H1 are crucial elements for SEO, as they facilitate the interpretation and indexing of content for both users and search engines.