LLM's & SEO: Why H-headings are crucial

In online marketing, search engine optimization (SEO) is gaining increasing importance. Technical details such as the correct use of H-headings are coming more into focus. This is especially true in the era of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT or Gemini. For a full-service agency specializing in online marketing, email marketing, and performance marketing, it is essential to use these structures optimally. This way, you effectively address both users and search engines as well as AI systems.

In this article, we explain why H-headings play a key role in SEO today. We also show how to structure your content clearly using them. This way, you sustainably strengthen your online presence.

H-headings (heading tags) structure content on a website and create clear divisions. In the past, they were mainly used for visual formatting. Today, however, they primarily serve a content-related purpose. They help search engines and large language models better understand and analyze texts. This way, they selectively filter relevant answers.

A clean heading structure improves readability and usability. These two factors directly lead to higher conversion rates in performance marketing. Furthermore, well-placed H-tags allow you to include relevant keywords in prominent positions. This significantly increases the visibility of your content.

Despite the importance of H headings, there are many websites with frequent errors:

• Multiple H1 tags on one page, which confuses search engines.
• H tags in the footer or other unimportant areas.
• Use of H-tags for purely visual design instead of semantic structuring.
• Lack of a clear structure, which makes it difficult to chunk content.

These errors reduce the performance of your website in online marketing. They also make it harder for modern AI models to understand your content.

Large language models are analyzing websites more and more frequently. They highlight relevant text passages in search results or quote them directly. A clear and logical headline structure is crucial here:

Chunking describes the division of large amounts of text into smaller, manageable sections. H1 to H3 are ideal for structuring content:

• H1 defines the main topic of a page and should be unique.
• H2 marks key topic sections.
• H3 subdivides details or answers specific questions.

This structure enables an AI to recognize precisely which section provides which information. This is a basic requirement for snippet generation and the intelligent display of search results.

Search engines and LLMs prefer questions in H2 or H3 tags because they directly reflect user intent. Headlines like “How does SEO work with H-headings?” or “Why are H-tags important for performance marketing?” often appear as featured snippets. Therefore, they significantly increase the click-through rate.

A well-thought-out heading structure optimizes your online marketing easily and efficiently. Here are our key recommendations:

Use only one H1 tag per page. It clearly defines the main topic and ideally contains the most important keyword, for example, “Online marketing with a focus on SEO and performance marketing.”

• H2 divides the main sections and highlights different facets of the topic, for example, “Importance of H-headings in email marketing.”
• H3 summarizes specific questions or subpoints, such as “How does a clear H-structure improve the user experience?”

Yes, main and secondary keywords can be naturally and sensibly integrated into headings. This ensures that the text does not appear artificial. In this way, you increase the relevance for search engines and at the same time offer readers a clear benefit.

Headings should only be used to structure the main content. H-tags in the footer, navigation, or in CTAs confuse search engines. This reduces content clarity.

A client from the email marketing sector suffered from poor visibility, despite having high-quality content. Our analysis revealed an unclear H-tag structure with multiple H1 tags and mixed headings. We implemented the following measures:

• Clear assignment of a single H1 tag with relevant main keyword.
• Structure the content with precise H2 and H3 tags.
• Inclusion of questions in H2/H3 that address common user questions.
• Natural integration of keywords in the headings.

The result: Within six weeks, the rankings increased significantly. Additionally, organic visibility improved measurably, and the user engagement rates improved markedly.

Companies that want to succeed in online marketing, performance marketing, or email marketing today need well-structured H-headings. These help search engines and LLMs optimally understand content and better serve relevant search queries.

As a full-service agency, we provide comprehensive consulting. We help you prepare your website technically and content-wise so that you achieve better rankings and more traffic in the long term.

Would you like to make your website SEO-fit and improve your online marketing strategy? Please contact us today.