possible to overuse the H1 tag?

H1 tags: should we use one or can we use more, and how many characters?

[cavemanlawyer15]

I see a lot of debate about the usage of H1 tags, and the frequency.

From an SEO point of view, is it critical to limit H1 to just one text string? If I use two or more, is it indifferent or will it also penalize the site? And is there a recommended character count?

[jimbeetle]

The general consensus for best practice is to use one H1 per page, basically as the page title (don't confuse this with the HTML <title> element). Simply think of it as writing an outline: Page Topic Head H1, Sub-Topic One Head H2, Sub-Topic One Text, Sub-Topic Two Head H2, Sub-Topic Two Text, etc. And, if necessary, drill down to H3, H4, etc.

As for character count I wouldn't sweat it; just use whatever is necessary to write a fairly concise title that will be understood by your site's visitors.

[Quadrille]

The point of H1 is to identify the heading for that particular page.

If you select, say, 200 words, then you are effectively arguing that there is no heading for the page (if everything is #1 priority, then nothing is!).

Plus it is quite possible (probable?) that SEs have seen H1 abuse so often that they simply pick your first x characters, should you fail to place the </H1> appropriately.

[edited by: Quadrille at 5:12 pm (utc) on June 30, 2008]