The Six Heading Levels

HTML gives you six levels of heading, <h1> through <h6>, each one marking a title or section header. <h1> is the most important heading on the page and <h6> the least important — browsers shrink the default font size as the number climbs, but the real point of headings is to build a hierarchy, like the outline of a document, not just to make text bigger or bolder.

<h1>Main Title</h1>
<h2>Section</h2>
<h3>Subsection</h3>

Screen readers let users jump straight from heading to heading to skim a page, and search engines use headings to figure out what a page is actually about. Both depend on the heading levels reflecting real structure, not just how someone wanted the text to look.

Every heading level comes with a default size and weight baked into the browser, but that's just a starting point — real projects almost always override it with CSS. Pick a heading level for what it means in the outline, not for how big or bold it happens to look by default.

<h1 style="font-size: 14px;">Still the main heading</h1>

What is the actual purpose of heading levels like <h1> through <h6>?

The most important heading on a page, typically used once near the top, is ____.

You should choose a heading level based on how big or bold you want the text to appear.