Heading Outline Checker

Score whether the page starts with one h1, uses h2 sections, and never skips from h1 to h3 — not a ranking trick.

What this tool gives you

outline score
Fetch or paste
Skip-level hygiene
Starter snippet

Check heading outline

Fetch a public page or paste HTML. The checker scores h1 → h2 → h3 order — not a ranking trick.

What this checker looks for

One h1 names the page. h2 sections answer questions. h3 is a nested detail, not a skipped jump.

Starts with h1

The first heading in the document should be the page topic.

One h1

HTML5 allows extras. Snippets still prefer one topic heading.

No skipped levels

Do not jump from h1 to h3. Nest one level at a time.

h2 sections

A lone h1 is a title, not an outline. Add section headings.

Visible text

Empty or hidden headings still get announced to screen readers.

Not a ranking lever

This is outline hygiene, not a citation trick.

How to use the checker

Fix the unique h1 first, then the outline, then image alt.

1

Check the live page

Fetch the public URL or paste the HTML from view-source.

2

Start with one h1

Name the page topic, then add h2 sections for each answer block.

3

Do not skip levels

h3 belongs under an h2. Never jump from the page h1 to h3.

What a healthy outline usually includes

One h1. Two or more h2 sections. h3 only when a section needs nested detail. No empty headings.

PartJobDefault for public sites
h1Page topicExactly one, first heading in the document
h2Section / questionOne per answer block under the h1
h3Nested detailOnly under the matching h2
Skiph1 then h3Never. Insert the missing h2
EmptyHidden or blank tagsDelete them or put visible words in
Neverh1 stuffingDo not repeat the title keyword in every heading

Related GEO pages

Fix the h1, then the outline, then image alt.

Heading outline FAQs

Does a perfect heading outline make ChatGPT cite my page?

No. Outlines help humans and crawlers scan the page. Citations still depend on crawl access, answer-ready content and corroboration.

Is skipping from h1 to h3 a ranking penalty?

No. It is an accessibility and scanability problem. Screen readers and table-of-contents extractors expect one step at a time.

Do I need h3 on every page?

No. h2 sections are enough for most marketing pages. Use h3 only when a section has nested details.