Heading structure is a report term used to explain the hierarchy of h1-h6 headings used to organize a page and explain its sections. It helps users understand the evidence behind a score or recommendation without reading implementation details.
Heading structure is the outline of a page. It starts with one H1 that names the main topic, then uses H2 sections and H3 subsections to organize supporting ideas.
For users, headings make the page easier to scan. For crawlers and AI systems, headings create stable breakpoints that help identify the root topic, section intent, and how individual chunks relate to each other.
In the report, use this item as evidence. Do not treat it as a standalone rule unless the surrounding page context supports the same conclusion.
| Heading level | Best use | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| H1 | One main page topic. | Gives AI models and search engines a stable root topic for the heading tree. |
| H2 | Main sections under the page topic. | Creates retrievable chunks for major subtopics. |
| H3 | Supporting points inside an H2 section. | Keeps details attached to the right parent idea. |
| H4-H6 | Rare deeper nesting for complex documents. | Useful for long technical content, but overuse can make the outline harder to scan. |
Good heading outline
<h1>AI Readability Guide</h1>
<h2>What AI Readability Measures</h2>
<h3>Sentence Length</h3>
<h3>Paragraph Length</h3>
<h2>How to Improve Readability</h2>
<h3>Split Long Sentences</h3>