Why Your H1 and Title Should Be Different for SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for driving relevant organic traffic to your website. Two key on-page elements that influence SEO are your title tag and H1 heading.

While your title and H1 should complement each other, they serve different purposes and should not be identical. Here's why:

The Title Tag Focuses on Keywords

Your title tag appears in search engine results pages (SERPs) as the clickable link. It should contain your most important keywords and compel users to click. Having your target keyword appear early in the title tag signals to search engines what the page is about.

The title also needs to make sense for users. Closely mirroring the H1 in the title tag could result in odd, lengthy titles.

The H1 Summarizes the Content

Your H1 appears on the page itself as the main heading. It should summarize or introduce the content that follows. The H1 gives structure to your content for both users and search bots.

Repeating the title tag as the H1 would result in repetitive, potentially awkward headings. It also wastes an opportunity to include related keywords.

Complement Without Copying

The title and H1 should complement each other without being identical. For example, the title could focus on a location-based keyword while the H1 introduces the content topic.

Having variation also gives search engines more signals about your page's relevance. It helps avoid keyword stuffing.

In summary, keep your title tag and H1 heading focused on your target keywords, but make them distinct. This balance will help optimize the page for both search engines and users.

Example 1

Title: Affordable Pet Grooming in Los Angeles
H1: Professional Pet Grooming Services

The title focuses on the location and service keywords while the H1 introduces the content topic in more detail.

Example 2

Title: Best Mountain Bike Trails in Vermont
H1: Top Mountain Biking Trails to Try in Vermont

Again the title targets the location and keywords, while the H1 sets up the content as a list of recommendations.

Example 3

Title: How to Potty Train Your Puppy in 7 Days
H1: A Step-by-Step Guide to Potty Train Any Puppy in Just 7 Days

The title highlights the keyword phrase "potty train your puppy" while the H1 elaborates on the content as a guide.

Example 4

Title: Best Plumbers in Chicago - Top 10 Options
H1: Finding a Reliable Plumber in Chicago

What is Google's point of view?

It is a bad idea to duplicate your title tag content in your first-level header. If your page's title and h1 tags match, the latter may appear over-optimized to search engines.
Also, using the same content in titles and headers means a lost opportunity to incorporate other relevant keywords for your page.

https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/title-link