H1 checker

Read the first H1 from the final HTML, count every H1 on the page, flag missing or multiple headings, and compare the first heading with the title.

Public check, no account needed. Reads the first H1, counts every H1 and compares the first one with the title. Rate limited to 60 an hour per IP.

Worked example

Illustrative result for a reserved example URL. Your check replaces it.

3 H1s found

Choose one clear main heading and move section headings to lower levels where practical.

First H1: Technical SEO audit checklist
H1 count: 3
Multiple H1 elements: Yes
Title: Technical SEO audit checklist | Example
H1 matches title: No
Final URL: https://example.com/pricing

This check reads the returned HTML. It does not determine whether CSS hides the heading or whether client-side code replaces it after the response.

What this check means

H1 element: An H1 element is an HTML heading that identifies the main subject of a page or section.
H1 count: H1 count is the number of H1 elements found in the returned HTML document.
H1 and title match: An H1 and title match means their text is identical after case and repeated whitespace are normalized.

How to read the result

Verdict: No H1 and multiple H1 elements are marked for review. One H1 receives a pass whether or not its wording exactly matches the title.
First H1: This is the text of the first H1 in the returned HTML. Not found means the endpoint did not receive a readable H1 value.
H1 count: Zero means the heading is missing. More than one means the template or content contains several H1 elements and needs a hierarchy review.
Multiple H1 elements: Yes is a review flag, not an indexing block. Confirm that one heading clearly owns the page and lower section headings use the right levels.
Title: This is the title text returned with the same final HTML. It supplies context for the comparison.
H1 matches title: Yes means the normalized text is identical. No can be healthy when both fields describe the same page for different reading contexts.
Final URL: This identifies the response whose HTML supplied the heading and title after any redirects.

Common causes

A visual hero uses a styled paragraph or div instead of a semantic H1.
A page builder, navigation component, or modal adds another H1 outside the main content.
A CMS template renders an H1 for every repeated content block.
Client-side rendering inserts the heading after the raw HTML response.
A migration maps source heading levels incorrectly across a page type.

Does every page need exactly one H1?

HTML can contain more than one H1, and multiple H1 elements do not create an automatic indexing block. One clear main H1 is usually easier for readers, crawlers, templates, and accessibility checks to interpret.

Should the H1 and title match exactly?

No. They should describe the same page, but the title can include search-result context while the H1 serves the reader already on the page. An exact match is valid when the wording works in both places.

Will a missing H1 stop a page from ranking?

No. A missing H1 is not a noindex instruction. It removes a clear main heading from the document and can make the page purpose harder to identify, so it is still worth fixing.

Can this checker tell whether the H1 is hidden?

No. The endpoint reads the returned HTML and reports the first H1 value and total count. It does not evaluate CSS visibility or a heading inserted later by client-side code.