FREE TOOL

Heading outline viewer

See a page's headings as an outline, in the order a search engine reads them, and spot a missing H1, skipped levels and empty headings.

We fetch the page the way a search engine would and read its headings. Public pages only.
Headings are read in the order they appear in the HTML, the same order a search engine or a screen reader reads them.
WHAT YOU WILL SEE

THE OUTLINE

Every heading on the page, indented by level, with any skipped level, empty heading or missing H1 called out above it.

CHECK THE WHOLE PAGE

The audit reads the headings too, and 29 more things: indexing, links, speed, sharing and AI search.

Run the SEO audit

How to read the result

Headings are the table of contents of a page. The H1 says what the whole page is about; each H2 names one part of it; an H3 names a part of an H2, and so on. Search engines use that structure to understand which words matter and what each section answers, and screen readers let people jump from heading to heading. The outline on this page shows the headings exactly as they sit in the HTML, indented by level, so you can see whether the structure tells the same story as the design.

A skipped level is a jump such as H2 straight to H4. It usually means a heading was chosen for its size rather than its place in the outline. Use the level that fits the structure and change the size with CSS. An empty heading is one with no text: an icon, an image without alt text, or a heading tag used for spacing. It says nothing to anyone who cannot see the page.

One H1 per page is the safe choice. HTML allows more, and Google says it copes, but several H1s make it harder to say what the page is about in one line. If a page has two subjects that each need an H1, it is usually two pages.

What this tool does not judge

It reads structure, not words. A page can have a perfect outline and still have headings that nobody searches for. For that, write each heading as the question or the thing the section answers, in the words people use, and check the title separately.

LEARN MORE

The lessons behind this tool.

ON-PAGE SEO · 01Your title tag is your page’s first impression.

How to write title tags that get clicked

A simple formula for title tags, with before and after rewrites for a blog post, a product page and a service page.

013 Sept5 minRead tip
ON-PAGE SEO · 02Meta descriptions that earn the click.

Write meta descriptions people want to click

A formula for meta descriptions that earn the click, with three rewrites and a plan for when Google shows other text.

0210 Sept5 minRead tip
ON-PAGE SEO · 03Headings are an outline.

A heading structure checklist

One H1, H2s for main sections and H3s inside them: a checklist and a worked outline for headings that read like a table of contents.

0317 Sept5 minRead tip