How many H1 headings should a page have?
One. The H1 is the main heading of the page, the strongest signal to search engines and to screen readers of what the page is about. No H1 leaves that unsaid; several H1s dilute it and usually mean the heading tags are being used for styling rather than structure. Use H2 for sections and H3 within them, and style them however you like.
Why it matters
Search engines read the H1 as the page's own statement of its subject, second only to the title tag. Screen reader users often jump straight to the H1 to find out what page they are on. A page whose H1 is the logo, or a slogan like "Welcome", or which has five H1s because the designer liked the size, gives both of them nothing to work with. A single H1 that says "Kitchen fitters in Ashford" does the job for everyone.
Headings are structure, not size
The tags H1 to H6 describe the outline of the page: one main heading, H2 for each section, H3 for parts within a section. Their appearance is set separately in the stylesheet, so a small H2 and a large H3 are perfectly possible. Choosing a heading level because of how big it looks is the root of nearly every heading problem.
How to check
Our check counts the H1 headings on your home page. Many browser extensions show a page's heading outline; in developer tools, searching the page for "<h1" finds them.
How to fix it
Make the page's main heading an H1 and everything else H2 or below. If your theme wraps the logo in an H1 on every page, ask the developer to change it to a div or a p; the logo should be an image with alt text, not a heading. If the page builder lets you pick a heading level, choose it by meaning and adjust the size in its style settings.
Not sure how your own site does on this? Run the free check: it takes about twenty seconds and reports on this and thirty other things.