Structuring Content for SEO 

In this workshop, we will be looking at:

• What are Title and Subheading Tags in HTML?
• Title hierarchy 
• Tile Tags and Font Size
• Titles Accessibility
• Common misconceptions when using titles 

I have even used ChatGPT to develop some ideas for using keywords in our titles to form the structure of the content. And I will walk you through my process.

Introducing Content Structure

Content structure is critical for creating accessible and engaging content. 

A well-structured piece of content helps to convey information clearly and makes it easier for users to navigate, read, and understand. Effective content structure involves the use of headings, subheadings, paragraphs, lists, and other elements to create a logical and coherent flow.

Structured content benefits readers and website owners, as it can improve search engine optimization (SEO) and increase user engagement. Search engines like Google use the structure of the content to determine its relevance and rank it in search results. 

Users are more likely to engage with content that is easy to read and understand, which can lead to increased time spent on the website, lower bounce rates, and ultimately higher conversions. Overall, content structure plays a crucial role in creating accessible, engaging, and compelling content that benefits both users and website owners.

I would like to kick things off with a quick recap and some helpful tips on structuring content for SEO:

1. As mentioned in the last workshop, start with keyword research to identify what your audience is searching for. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz to find relevant keywords and phrases.
2. Create a catchy headline with engaging language that is optimized for your target keyword. Keep it short and action-oriented.
3. Use subheadings (H2, H3, H4) to break up your content into easily scannable sections. This will help readers and search engines understand the structure of your content.
4. Use bullet points and lists to make your content easy to scan and read, which can improve your SEO.
5. Use internal links to relevant content on your website within your blog posts. This will help search engines understand the relationship between your content and improve your overall SEO.
6. Use images, videos, and other media to break up your content and make it more engaging. Optimize your images for SEO by using alt text and file names
7. Optimize your meta tags (title and description) for your target keyword and make them compelling enough to entice users to click through to your content.
8. Include a call-to-action (CTA) at the end of your blog post to increase user engagement and drive conversions.

What are Title and Subheading Tags in HTML

As you might know, H tags are HTML elements used to define headings on web pages. They range from H1 to H6, with H1 being the main heading and H6 the least important one. These tags provide a hierarchical structure to the content on a web page, making it easier for users to read and navigate the page.

The main title of a page is marked up with the H1 tag, which is usually the largest and most prominent heading on the page. Subheadings are marked up with H2, H3, H4, etc., in descending order of importance. 

H2 is used for the main subheadings, while lower-level tags like H3 and H4 are used for subheadings within those sections. Using title and subheading tags correctly is important for both usability and search engine optimization (SEO). 

In summary

Properly marked-up headings help users quickly find the information they’re looking for and understand the structure of the content. This is made even more important when we factor in accessibility needs like the use of screen readers.

In addition, search engines use title and subheading tags to understand the content of the page and rank it appropriately for relevant search queries.

Title hierarchy – How to utilise title tags and subheadings for SEO.

Headings and subheadings are important for SEO because they help search engines understand the structure and hierarchy of your content. Here are some best practices for using headings and subheadings for SEO:

1. Use descriptive and meaningful text in your H tags, rather than generic or vague phrases, this will make it easier for users to navigate your content and for search engines to understand its relevance.
2. Make sure your headings and subheadings accurately reflect the content of each section.

2. Use keywords strategically in your headings and subheadings to signal to search engines that your content is relevant to specific search queries.
3. Keep your headings and subheadings concise.
4. Use headings and subheadings to break up long content into smaller, more manageable sections that are easier to read and digest.

H tags provide a way to mark up headings and subheadings in HTML code, and using them effectively can greatly improve the structure, accessibility, and SEO performance of your content.

Here is how your content should be structured with headings in mind:

1. Use H1 for your main title and include your primary keyword.
2. Use H2 tags for your subheadings to provide more specific information about the content of each section of your article or blog post.
3. Use H3, H4, etc. for further subheadings if needed, but keep them relevant to the overall topic of your content.

It will look a little like this

I asked ChatGPT to give me an example of a good article title that incorporates the SEO keyword “student mental health”  and this is what it came up with.

“5 Strategies for Supporting Student Mental Health: Tips for Teachers and Parents”

In this example, the title includes the SEO keyword “student mental health” in a clear and descriptive way that accurately reflects the content of the article. The title provides a promise of value to the reader, indicating that they will learn about strategies for supporting student mental health. Finally, the title is concise and uses a title case, making it easy to read and understand for all users. I then asked ChatGPT to generate some H2 and H3 Titles that use other keywords associated with “student mental health”, this is what it suggested

The H2 Titles are

H2: Signs and Symptoms of Student Mental Health Issues

H2: Effective Ways to Manage Student Stress and Anxiety

H2: Supporting Student Mental Health in the Classroom

H2: The Importance of Early Intervention for Student Mental Health

The H3 titles are

H3: Identifying and Addressing Burnout in Students

H3: Mindfulness Techniques for Improving Student Mental Health

H3: Addressing Stigma and Misconceptions About Student Mental Health

H3: Helping Students Build Resilience for Better Mental Health

These H2 and H3 titles use related keywords such as “symptoms,” “stress,” “classroom,” “intervention,” “burnout,” “mindfulness,” “stigma,” “resilience,” and “anxiety” and these provide more specific information related to the main topic of “student mental health.” These headings can help organize the content of the article and make it easier for users to scan and find the information they need.

So we can see here from the example how ChatGPT can be used to generate article headers that start broad and then drill down to structure the content and make it more skimmable. The final article titles we could use to form our content is

• H1 – 5 Strategies for Supporting Student Mental Health: Tips for Teachers and Parents
  • H2 – Signs and Symptoms of Student Mental Health Issues
    • H3 – Addressing Stigma and Misconceptions About Student Mental Health
  • H2 – Effective Ways to Manage Student Stress and Anxiety
    • H3 – Mindfulness Techniques for Improving Student Mental Health
    • H3 – Helping Students Build Resilience for Better Mental Health

Using this tool can help content creators to come up with ideas for articles around a specific keyword. It is important to remember that these content examples are classed as Your Money or Your Life content and should always be reviewed by industry experts. 

Never blindly copy and paste content from AI tools like ChatGPT, but use them to support and enrich your writing.

Title Tags and Font Size

When structuring our content, font size is important both for skimmable content, but also to guide our users to the most important text first or the thing they are looking for. Text size can be used to guide users through the journey of our content. If you are familiar with content management systems or page builders, the priority of the H tag comes with a default text size to display. It is a common miss conception that if you want to make the text bigger, you need to increase the H tag.

The text size displayed on the page can be overwritten to display the size of the text you require. That being said, there are generally accepted conventions for how the different H tags should be used in terms of text size. For example, H1 tags are often used for the main title of the page or article, and they’re usually displayed in a larger font size than other headings. When approaching text size in relation to articles, we must use the same format across the whole site so there is consistency in the product.

However, when it comes to the main static pages on the website, the specific size and style of the text are ultimately up to the designer or developer. It’s important to note that using different font sizes for different headings can help make the content more scannable and visually appealing, which can improve user experience and potentially improve SEO as well.

This is one of my favourite examples of visual hierarchy and is by Chaosamran_Studio

Your eye is first drawn to the word “You” and then “will read this first”, and then “and then you will read this line next”. The longer you spend exploring this image, the more your eye is guided to different areas of importance by the use of font size, proximity, or colour. 

These techniques allow content creators to highlight the importance but also the relationship between different sets of text. This image is a great example of how content creators can guide users around their pages.

In summary, the H tag value does not directly determine the size of the text on the page, but there are conventions for how different H tags are typically used in terms of text size. Ultimately, the size and style of the text are up to the designer or developer to determine.

Titles Accessibility – be accurate and informative

Accessible titles are titles that are designed to be easily understandable by all users, including those with disabilities. They are an important component of web accessibility, as they help users to understand the content and purpose of a web page or document.

The key characteristics of accessible titles include:

1. Descriptive: Titles should be descriptive and accurately describe the content of the page.
2. Concise: Titles should be concise and to the point, avoiding unnecessary words or phrases.
3. Unique: Titles should be unique and distinguishable from other pages or documents.
4. Meaningful: Titles should be meaningful and provide context to the user about the purpose and content of the page.

The benefits of using accessible titles include:

1. Improved accessibility: Accessible titles can help users with disabilities better understand the content of a web page or document.
2. Better search engine optimization: Search engines use titles to understand the content of a page and determine its relevance to a user’s search query.
3. Increased usability: Accessible titles can make it easier for users to navigate and understand the content of a web page or document.
4. Improved user experience: Accessible titles can help users quickly and easily find the information they need, improving the overall user experience.

Common Misconceptions when Using Titles in Content

There are a few common misconceptions that people may have when it comes to using titles in content. We previously mentioned that the most common one and that is if you want to increase the font size you increase the H tag.

I’ve put together a list of 10 reasons why clickbait articles are bad…number 7 will shock you….

And here they are

1. Click-bait articles are bad: While it’s important to grab a reader’s attention with a catchy title, it’s equally important that the title accurately reflects the content of the article. A title that is too clever or misleading can result in disappointment and frustration for the reader.
2. Avoid lengthy titles: While it’s important to provide enough information in a title to give readers an idea of what the content is about, titles that are too long can be overwhelming and difficult to read. Keep titles concise and to the point.
3. Do not stuff your article with keywords: It’s important to include relevant keywords in a title to help with search engine optimization. Titles that are stuffed with too many keywords can be off-putting to readers and may even harm your SEO efforts.
4. Titles can be an afterthought: Finally, some people may think that titles can be created at the end of the writing process or even outsourced to someone else. However, the title is an integral part of the content and should be given the time and attention it deserves.