In short
- The H1 is the visible heading of the page: it confirms to visitors that they are in the right place and helps Google understand the topic.
- On a category, it uses the main query in its natural form, with no sales argument and no brand.
- It must be consistent with the title: an H1 that tells a different story pushes Google to compose its own title.
- A classic theme mistake: the logo or a slogan in H1, and the category name relegated to H2.
The H1 is often the least discussed tag in e-commerce SEO, because it seems obvious: it is the category name. That is almost true. But e-commerce themes, poorly named categories and inherited facets make it a frequent and easy-to-fix source of mistakes.
The role of the H1
The H1 is the main visible heading of the page. It has two functions:
- reassure the visitor arriving from Google: they find the words of their search at the top of the page;
- help Google understand the main topic. Google cites title tags and the main visible heading among the sources it uses to compose the title displayed in the results.
The rule on a category
The H1 of a category uses the main query, in its natural form, and nothing else:
| Page | Good H1 | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Fitted sheets | Our quality fitted sheets at the best price |
| Facet | 160x200 fitted sheets | Fitted sheets: Size 160x200 |
| Material facet | Linen fitted sheets | Fitted sheets - Material: Linen |
| Product page | Riviera 160x200 white percale fitted sheet | Riviera |
No sales argument, no site brand, no list of filters: that role belongs to the title and the meta description.
H1 and title: consistent, not identical
The H1 can be shorter than the title, since the visitor is already on the page. The title, on the other hand, has to convince in the results and adds a feature of the offering and the brand.
What matters is consistency: if the title talks about "160x200 fitted sheets" and the H1 about "bed linen", Google receives two contradictory signals. That is one of the reasons it sometimes decides to compose its own title.
Frequent mistakes
- The logo in H1 on every page, a legacy of some themes: the real category heading ends up in H2.
- Several competing H1s: promotional banner, category name, block heading. Google cites the absence of a clear main heading among the causes of rewriting.
- An identical H1 on the category and its facets: "Fitted sheets" everywhere, whether the page displays all sizes or only 160x200.
- An internal category name: "Bed linen > Bottom > Covers" or a marketing collection name ("Radiant Collection") that nobody searches for.
The case of collection names
Brands like to name their collections. "Radiant Collection" speaks to the marketing team, not to users. If the page is a category that has to rank, its H1 must say what it contains ("Cotton sateen bed linen"), even if that means mentioning the collection name in the body copy.
Across a catalogue
Fixing H1s is simple page by page, but tedious across hundreds of categories and facets. unblind proposes an H1 for each page, written at the same time as the title, the meta description and the copy so that they tell the same story, based on the main query assigned to the page and the locked attribute of the facets.
Frequently asked questions
Does the H1 have to be identical to the title?
Not necessarily. The H1 can be shorter and more direct ("Linen fitted sheets"), while the title adds a feature of the offering and the brand. What matters is that they talk about the same topic with the same main words.
Can a page have several H1s?
Technically yes, but on a category page, a single clear H1 is preferable: Google cites the absence of a clear main heading among the situations that lead it to rewrite the title displayed in the results.