How Should You Write Headings and the First Lines of a Web Page?

By Bill Stilwell · Last reviewed October 16, 2026

The short answer

Give each page one clear main heading that says what the page is about, usually the same idea as the page title. Then answer the visitor’s main question in the first two or three sentences, before any history or sales talk. Use smaller headings below to break the rest into sections people can scan.

What this means

A heading is the large text that labels a page or section. In the code, the main heading is called the H1. Smaller section headings are H2, H3, and so on. HyperText Markup Language (HTML), the code web pages are built with, uses these tags so browsers, screen readers, and search engines know how the page is organized.

The opening lines are the first sentences under the main heading. That’s where a visitor decides whether to stay.

Say Sparkle House Cleaning has a move-out cleaning page. A weak start is a heading that says “Welcome!” and a paragraph about when the company was founded. A better start:

Heading: Move-Out Cleaning in Tacoma
Opening: We clean your rental top to bottom so you can pass the move-out inspection. Most apartments take 4 to 6 hours. Prices start at the rate listed below, and we bring all supplies.

(The numbers in that example are made up for illustration. Use your own.)

Why it matters

People skim. If the top of the page doesn’t match what they searched, many leave without scrolling.
Google looks at your main heading. Google says it uses the main visible title and headings, among other things, when it creates the title link in search results. A clear H1 that matches your title helps Google keep the title you wrote (see 19.4.1 Page Titles).
A buried answer is hard to quote. A clear, direct answer near the top is easier for a reader, a search engine, or an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to pick up (see 19.9 Writing Answer-First Content).
Screen reader users rely on headings. Google notes that headings in a logical order help people using screen readers move around a page (see 9.7.3 Website Accessibility).

Who this applies to

Every page on every business website. It matters most on service pages and location pages, because those are the pages people land on from a search.

How to do it

Write one main heading (H1) per page. Make it say the topic in plain words, for example “Water Heater Repair in Reno.”
Keep the H1 and the page title close in meaning. They don’t need to be word for word, but they should agree.
Make the H1 the biggest, most visible text at the top. Google says the main title should stand out, for example with a larger font or as the first visible H1.
Write the opening in 2 or 3 sentences. Say what you do, for whom, and the one fact the visitor most wants, like the area you serve, how fast you can come, or how pricing works.
Move the company history, awards, and long welcome text lower on the page or to the About page (see 13.4.3 About Page).
Break the rest of the page into sections with H2 headings. Make each one a plain label or a real question, such as “How much does water heater repair cost?”
Keep headings in order when you can, H2 under H1, H3 under H2. Google says the order doesn’t matter for Search, but it helps screen reader users.
Check the top of the page on a phone. The heading and opening should show without scrolling.

What proof to keep

A phone screenshot of the top of each main page
Your page spreadsheet with a column for the H1 next to the page title

Keep these in your website records folder.

Common mistakes

Using the logo or “Welcome” as the H1. Some templates do this by default. Check the code or ask your builder’s support how to set the H1.
Several H1s on one page. Some themes make every big text block an H1. It muddies what the page is about.
Picking heading levels by size. People use H3 because it looks nicer. Change the style instead and keep the order.
Burying the answer. Three paragraphs about your passion for plumbing before you say you fix water heaters.
A big image or slider that pushes the heading off the phone screen. The visitor sees a photo and nothing else.
Headings stuffed with keywords. “Best Plumber Reno Plumbing Services Reno NV” reads badly and can count as keyword stuffing.

When to get help from a pro

Your web developer: if your theme sets the wrong text as the H1 or you can’t change heading levels. Questions to ask:

Which element on each page is the H1 right now?
Can we make the main heading and opening show above the fold on phones?

An accessibility specialist: if you want to check your headings work well with screen readers.

Bill’s note

[Bill: add a short story or lesson here. For example, a client site where the H1 was the logo on every page, or a page that started getting more calls after the answer moved to the top.]

If you’d rather have this done for you, SiteSmarty builds pages that answer the customer’s question first.

How I did this for SiteSmarty

[Date I did this:]
[What I actually did, step by step: how I set the H1 and rewrote the opening lines on SiteSmarty’s main pages]
[What it cost and how long it took:]
[What surprised me or what I’d do differently:]
[Screenshot or photo to add, with private info blurred: phone view of the top of a SiteSmarty service page]
[Result so far:]

Questions people ask

Should my H1 match my page title? They should say the same thing, but they don’t have to match word for word.

How many headings should a page have? One H1, then as many section headings as the page needs. Google says there’s no ideal number.

Does heading order matter for search engine optimization (SEO)? Google says it doesn’t matter for Search. Keep a logical order anyway because it helps screen reader users.

What should the first paragraph of a service page say? What you do, where, and the main fact the customer wants, in 2 or 3 sentences.

Why answer the question right away? Visitors decide fast whether to stay, and AI tools and search engines can quote a clear answer more easily.

Audit check

Question: Does each main page have one clear H1 and answer the visitor’s main question in the first few sentences?
Pass looks like: One H1 that names the topic and agrees with the title, an opening of 2 or 3 sentences with the key answer, and section headings in a sensible order. Both show on a phone without scrolling.
Fail looks like: Logo or “Welcome” as the H1, several H1s, keyword-stuffed headings, or a long intro before the answer.
Evidence to collect: Phone screenshots of the top of each main page and the H1 column in the page spreadsheet.

Where this fits

Do this first: 19.1 Keyword Research, 19.4.1 Page Titles

Do this next: 19.4.5 Page Structure

Sources

Google Search Central, "Influencing title links in Google Search" (checked October 16, 2026)
Google Search Central, "SEO Starter Guide" (checked October 16, 2026)
Google Search Central, "Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content" (checked October 16, 2026)

This page explains general rules and Bill's own experience. It is not legal, tax, or insurance advice. Talk to a qualified professional about your situation.