Differences Between H1 Tag And Title Tag Explained!

Differences Between H1 Tag And Title Tag: One of the prevalent misconceptions among many people is that the Title Tag and H1 Tag are the same.

That’s not the case. There are similarities between the two, and many Content Management Systems (CMS) take the H1 Tag as the Title Tag. But that’s because these CMSes have been designed mainly for users who do not have much technical knowledge. Eventually, keeping both the tags the same has become the norm.

But knowing the differences between the two can help you when the need arises. So, let’s look into the differences between H1 Tag and Title Tag.

Differences Between H1 Tag And Title Tag

On a superficial level, both H1 Tag and Title Tag serve the same purpose – indicating what the web page is about. And most bloggers, due to the above-mentioned reason (the default CMS setting) use the same text as title tag and H1 Tag.

But to the search engines, these are two different tags.

The Title Tag or Meta Title Tag appears in the code of the web page. It is one of the first things that is discovered by the crawlers. H1 Tag, which also tells what the web page is about, appears within the content of the web page and is visible to us when we are on the page.

Crawlers give more preference to the Title Tag to understand what the page is about. The H1 Tag, which has been misused a lot, has barely any significance these days in terms of the web page getting discovered by the search engines. It is more about the styling, design, and aesthetics of the page.

The Title Tag also appears in the Search Engine Result Page (SERP) – the blue clickable text which takes us to the web page. Hence, the Title Tag not only needs to be optimized for search engines but also should be written in a manner so that people click on it.

The H1 Tag, which we can see when we click on the Title Tag from the SERP and land on the page, can then provide a more clear idea about the content of the page.

The Title Tag also appears in the web browser when you hover over a tab. Another feature of the Title Tag is that when you bookmark a page, it is the Title Tag that is picked up as the default title.

General Format Of Title Tag

The general format of the Title Tag, as recommended by many, is as follows:

Primary/Focused Keyword – Secondary Keyword | Name of the Brand

Remember the following points while writing the Title Tag:

• Keep the Focused Keyword at the beginning of the Title Tag.
• Do not over-optimize the Title Tag.
• At the same time, make sure it clearly indicates the content of the web page.
• Keep the Title Tag between 55 to 65 characters.

Example To Elaborate The Differences Between H1 Tag And Title Tag

Let me explain the differences between H1 Tag and Title Tag with an example:

Let’s say my focus keyword is “Best Keyword Research Tool”. The Meta Title Tag could be: “Best Keyword Research Tool: Top Tool For Keyword Suggestion | Blogsperia”.

The H1 Tag for this web page can be: “Which Is The Best Tool For Keyword Research For Better SEO In 2019?”

Do You Need To Keep Your H1 Tag And Title Tag Different?

No, there is no such rule that you have to keep your H1 Tag and Title Tag different. As I said, the H1 Tag barely contributes towards SEO any more. But I feel that keeping your H1 Tag different from the Title Tag in a manner that the H1 Tag gives a clearer picture of what to expect on the web page can improve the user experience. This, in turn, can contribute towards SEO.

These more or less explain the differences between H1 Tag and Title Tag. I hope I have been able to explain them properly.

If you have any question regarding the differences between H1 Tag and Title Tag, do drop your queries below and I will respond at the earliest.