How to Fix the Heading Hierarchy in WordPress

A proper heading hierarchy is essential for SEO and accessibility. Here is how to identify and fix the most common heading issues in WordPress.

Issue 1: Missing H1 Tag

Every page should have exactly one H1 tag. In WordPress, the H1 is typically the post/page title. Check your theme — if the title uses an H2 or other tag, fix it in the theme template:

// In your theme's single.php or content template
<h1 class="entry-title"><?php the_title(); ?></h1>

Issue 2: Multiple H1 Tags

Some themes output the site name as H1 on every page. Your site should have only one H1 per page — the page title. Fix this in your theme's header template by changing the site title to a <p> or <span> on non-homepage pages.

Issue 3: Skipped Heading Levels

Headings should follow a logical order: H1 → H2 → H3. Never jump from H2 to H4. When writing content in the WordPress editor:

• Use H2 for main sections of your content
• Use H3 for subsections within an H2
• Use H4 only within an H3 section
• Don't choose heading levels based on visual size — use CSS for styling

Issue 4: Using Headings for Styling

If you want text to look like a heading but it's not actually a heading in the content structure, use CSS classes instead:

.looks-like-heading {
    font-size: 1.5rem;
    font-weight: 700;
}

Verify with InspectWP

InspectWP shows the complete heading structure of your page. Use it to identify missing H1 tags, duplicate H1s, and any skipped levels.