Headings & Subheadings

Headings are the primary way our websites establish a content hierarchy. They are also the first things SEO and AI index and use to understand your content and deliver results to their audiences. If headings are not structured correctly or are misused, those tools will produce negative quality index (content quality) scores and lower your page rankings against your competitors.

Headings must be used correctly and cascade in order of content hierarchy. For example, never use an H3 before an H2, and use an H4 only under an H3, which is under an H2. Headings are not chosen based on how they look. H1 headings are always the Page Title and should only ever be used once per page. H2, H3, and H4 headings build the rest of the content hierarchy and can be used as many times as needed in content.

Additionally, never use headings to emphasize text. Headings are only to be used as the introduction to more information.

Should a page misuse headings, the Health Sciences Communications & Marketing Digital Team has the authority to alter your information. This does not mean we will change content. We will, to the best of our ability, adapt content that incorrectly uses headings.