Wordpress Site Structure and H1 Tags

[seoessentials]

We are working on optimizing a client's website and asked the client's webmaster to change a handful of H1 tags. The webmaster said they could not do to the existing names being pre-set in the design.

The website is built in Wordpress. The client has repeating H1 tags due to the 'design'. I have attached a snapshot of the backend.

Is there a rule around Wordpress site structure where this doesn't happen? Is it worth changing? If so,what is the best solution.

Thank you ahead of time.

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[Berner]

HI,

If you have access to the backend, I would say to try a couple of things:

1 - If you are using a theme, many times I have found even with my own theme that I got from theme fusion is that the pages titles are also the H1 tags. So to counter this, while still on whatever page you have open, scroll down to the page options. So like options where you can change default sidebars, maybe author etc. You have have an options that says something like Page Title Bar Options.

This is a way to override whatever H1 tag you may have going on if your page title is showing up as the main H1 tag also.

2 - If you are using Yoast, this may also be adding h1 tags for you.

3 - You may check to see if you have <title>type coding or functions. Maybe even shortcodes adding h1 tags. I would say if you View your source code for a page, you can pinpoint where the H1 tags are going up so that you can know where to look on your pages.</p> <p>I am not sure if you want, I am no pro, but if you tell me your website I can view the source code too and tell you where the h1 tags are.</p> <p>Best Wishes</p> <p>Chris</p></title>

[TheeDigital]

This is very common in Wordpress.  Have them change the template, and if they want it to still look the same then just call the style as a class.

[seoessentials]

Thank you - I will bring up a theme change. I just didn't know if the structure of how you lay out your website and how subpages and pages under subpages affected SEO. What is the best practice for this?

[evolvingSEO]

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[evolvingSEO]

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[evolvingSEO]

Hi Pamela

I wrote a whole answer, and then realized I should ask for some clarification

Do you mean;

A) The H1 tags are in the right place, you just want to be able to individually edit what's in them on a post by post or page by page basis?

B) You are getting H1 tags in wrong places, multiples per page etc and need to get to the underlying code to change where the

tags are being used to begin with?

Or both?

[seoessentials]

Web designer said she can't change out the H1 tags due to the layout of the website. Looking at the backend, I see pages, subpages and sub-subpages - I just wondered if there was some rule-of-thumb in laying out a Wordpress site whereupon a person didn't stack pages like this to avoid this problem of if it was simply a theme issue.

[evolvingSEO]

Gotcha. With a "normal" WordPress install it should be pretty easy to make a change to the

tags. You just go into the editor and find the right .php file(s).

Are you by chance running Thesis or Genesis? I know it can be trickier with those platforms.

If not, it sounds like an issue with how this specific theme or customization was done. Because normally it should be pretty straightforward.