Begin by watching a short video that includes instructions for adding Rich Text/HTML to guide boxes. This video is 02:55 in length.

View all LibGuides Tutorials on the LS Training website.

Headings are a structured way to organize sections of content on LibGuides pages and serve two important functions: accessibility and search engine optimization. 

Accessibility
Headings are used by assistive technology/screen readers to navigate a page quickly and understand the structure of a page, and range from H1 to H6 to create a hierarchical structure. The <h1> element should be reserved for the page title. In LibGuides, the title of each page you create is <h1>. For sub sections on a page, use <h2> to <h6> in document outline order. <h1> is the most important and <h6> is the least. Box titles use <h2> in LibGuides; therefore you can only select <h3> through <h6> in the rich text editor. Avoid skipping headings. Avoid breaking document outline order (you may go from <h1> to <h3>, but never <h3> to <h1>).

Search engine optimization
Headings are utilized in HTML code in a way that allows search engines to read and understand content. <h1> is the most important heading for search engines because it informs the algorithm of the content intent. <h2> through <h6> then explain to the search engine the importance of each piece of content in descending order. 

Headings make pages scannable, which is important because users rarely read an entire piece of content. Using headers that accurately represent your content encourages users and search engines to read the entirety of your content without bouncing off of the page. 

HTML Heading Tag Best Practices for LibGuides

1. <h1> is reserved for your Page Titles (this is built into the LibGuides application).
2. All box titles are set as <h2>, so make them descriptive (even if you float the box). Think of the content pieces on a page as stand-alone books. The <h1> header is the title and then <h2>, <h3> et cetera are the chapters. 
3. The first header level available to you in LibGuides is <h3>.
4. Use headers to break up text, and in hierarchical order.
5. Add keywords into headers. Add your targeted keywords in headers if they are relevant and meaningful to the content directly below each header.  
6. Be consistent and keep your heading text (box titles and headings) somewhat short. Consider your headings to be “mini titles” for the subsequent text.
7. Don’t use headings purely for visual reasons.
8. Do not include multiple links in a single heading.