6. Structuring Text with Headings (h1 through h6)

Headings are essential for defining the hierarchy and structure of your document, which is vital for both users and search engines (SEO).

6.1 The Heading Hierarchy

HTML provides six levels of headings, from <h1> (the most important) to <h6> (the least important).

Rules for Usage:

1. One <h1> per page: The <h1> should summarize the primary topic of the entire page (like the title of a book chapter).
2. Maintain Order: Always proceed numerically (h1 -> h2 -> h3). Do not skip levels (e.g., jumping directly from h1 to h4).

html

Main Title of the Page

<p>Introductory paragraph.</p>

<h3>Sub-Section Detail 1</h3>
<p>Content for detail 1.</p>

<h3>Sub-Section Detail 2</h3>
<p>Content for detail 2.</p>

Note: While browsers often display h1 largest and h6 smallest, you should use headings for structure (semantics), not just for visual size. You will control the appearance using CSS later.