A free heading checker that draws any page's H1 to H6 outline and marks what's out of order.
Type any page to see its heading outline, from H1 to H6, with skipped levels, extra H1s and empty headings marked.
Headings are the titles inside a page, from the H1 at the top down to H6, and they're how readers find their way through it.
This free heading checker reads any live page and draws its outline, from H1 to H6, the way a reader or a screen reader moves through it.
It counts your H1s and marks skipped levels, empty headings and headings too long to scan, as numbers above the outline so you see the problems first.
I built it because I wanted to see a page's structure at a glance, without opening its code... and because the advice about headings online is often stricter than Google's own.
So here's what Google actually says about headings, what a good outline looks like, and how I fix one.
TL;DRKey takeaways
What is a heading checker?
A heading checker is a tool that shows a page's headings as an outline, level by level.
It answers three questions for me: does the page have one clear H1, does the outline skip any levels, and could someone skim the headings and know what the page covers?
What Google says about headings
Google's SEO starter guide is refreshingly plain about it.
It says headings in order are fantastic for screen readers, but that from Google Search's side, it doesn't matter if you use them out of order... and that there's no magic number of headings.
What it does ask is that you break long content into sections with headings, so people can find their way around.
So for me, a heading checker is more about readers than about rankings: a clear outline helps people stay, and a page people read is a page that does well.
What the heading checker shows
- What it shows
- Every heading, indented by level
- Why it matters
- The page's structure at a glance
- What it shows
- How many H1s the page has
- Why it matters
- One clear H1 is the simplest setup
- What it shows
- An H2 followed by an H4, for example
- Why it matters
- Screen readers use the levels to move around
- What it shows
- A heading with no words in it
- Why it matters
- Noise for screen readers, and often a template mistake
- What it shows
- Headings too long to scan
- Why it matters
- A heading should read at a glance
- What it shows
- A score, every check and what to fix first
- Why it matters
- The rest of the page, in the same run
How to check a page's headings
A real example: my guide to starting a blog
My how to start a blog guide is long, so it's a good test of an outline.
| Measure | how to start a blog |
|---|---|
| Headings | 105 |
| H1 | 1 |
| H2 | 9 |
| H3 | 34 |
| H4 and below | 61 |
| Skipped levels | 1 |
| Empty headings | 0 |
The shape is what I'd want for a long guide: one H1, nine big sections, and smaller steps inside them.
The one skipped level is worth fixing, even though Google doesn't mind, because a screen reader user jumping between levels would miss a step.
What a good outline looks like
A good outline reads like the contents page of a book. These are the rules I follow:
- What I use it for
- The page's title, once
- Example
- How to start a blog
- What I use it for
- The big sections a reader would jump to
- Example
- How to choose a domain name
- What I use it for
- The steps or parts inside a section
- Example
- Check the name is free on social media
- What I use it for
- Detail inside a step, only when needed
- Example
- .com or a country ending?
And I keep each heading short enough to read at a glance, with the words that say what the section is about near the start.
One H1 or several?
Google doesn't give a number for H1s either... its starter guide only says there's no magic number of headings.
But one clear H1 that matches the page's title is still the simplest setup, for readers and for screen readers, so that's what I use and what the checker expects.
If your theme wraps your logo or site name in an H1, the checker will show two... and that's usually a quick fix in the theme's settings.
Questions make great headings
A lot of searches are questions, and a heading that asks the same question tells both readers and Google that the section answers it.
The questions group in the keyword generator is where I find them: each one is a heading waiting to happen.
Answer the question in the first sentence under the heading, then go into the detail.
How I fix an outline
Mistakes to avoid
- Using headings to make text bigger, instead of to show structure
- Skipping from H2 to H4 because the H3 style looked wrong
- Vague headings like Overview or Details that say nothing
- Empty headings left behind by a page builder
- Stuffing the same keyword into every heading
Who is the heading checker for?
It's for anyone who writes or builds pages people should be able to skim:
- How to start a blog – bloggers outlining a long post
- How to create an online course – course creators structuring a sales page
- Keyword density checker – writers checking the words inside each section
- SEO checker – site owners who want every check in one run
- Readability checker – writers making each section easy to read
And if you use a page builder, run it on your templates too, because that's where empty and extra headings come from.
After you check your headings
| Tool | Use it when |
|---|---|
| Keyword density checker | You want to see which words each page leans on |
| SERP simulator | You're writing the title your H1 should match |
| Readability checker | You want each section easier to read |
| SEO checker | You want every other check on the page |
Check the rest of the page
Heading Checker FAQs
Questions about headings? Here's what to know.
It's a tool that shows a page's headings as an outline, from H1 to H6.
This one also marks skipped levels, empty headings and extra H1s.
They're the six levels of headings in HTML, from the page's title down to small details.
Each level sits inside the one above it.
Google says it doesn't matter for Search if you use them out of order.
It does matter for readers and screen readers, so it's still worth fixing.
One clear H1 is the simplest setup.
Google gives no number, but one that matches the title reads best.
Google says there's no magic number.
Use one wherever a reader would want to jump to a new section.
It's a jump down more than one level, like an H2 followed by an H4.
Screen reader users can miss what's in between.
It usually should, or be very close.
Google can use your H1 when it rewrites a title.
Themes often wrap the logo or site name in an H1.
That's usually a quick fix in the theme's settings.
Yes, and it's often the best kind.
Answer it in the first sentence under the heading.
Yes, it's free, with no sign-up.
I did. I'm Navid Moazzez, and I made the heading checker as one of my free tools on navid.me.
You can read more about me.
Navid Moazzez
AI business strategist & AI OS builder
Navid Moazzez helps creators and founders master AI and build their own AI Operating System (AI OS) to automate their business and life.
Navid.me is reader-supported. When you buy through links on this site, I may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
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