Semantic question...

Pat64 · 2007-01-07 13:51:09

In your opinion : how much time can we use a level 1 heading tag (“<h1>”) into each single website page?
It s a semantic dilemma for me :)
W3C don t give explicit answer. Andy Budd, who posed the problem on his blog, seems favours a multiple usage for separation of each semantic unit of a text (i.e one for headline and another for the title of a sidebar menu).
What do you think about this?
Cheers.

Last edited by Pat64 (2007-01-07 13:51:41)

Walker · 2007-01-07 13:57:54

You can use it however many times you want to divide content of the same level.

marios · 2007-01-07 14:43:19

I dont’ know.
I prefer to use h1 only for the main header logo, then structure down for the main section and side content preferably synchronously.

The main reason, for this is a more clear visaul clue, if viewed without stylesheet and print styles.

regards, marios

Last edited by marios (2007-01-07 14:43:49)

Pat64 · 2007-01-07 17:34:56

Tks Walker & marios.
The opinions are divided… and this is the problem!
Like marios I always used only one h1 (for the main header logo) on a page, but now it seems to to me that Walker rightly : a page can be divided into multiple main semantic level.
But what about the header and the logo? Another dilemma :)
Regards,

sthmtc · 2007-01-07 22:54:17

in my opinion it should be used only once per page.

Mary · 2007-01-07 23:15:07

Just once. Think of a document.

I’d possibly use it for a logo on the homepage, but otherwise it’d be used for the page’s title.

Jeremie · 2007-01-08 13:24:09

As many times as you want. But as you may have or will discover, this is a very hot debate, with strong head on both sides of the fence.

In fact, the most important thing to do : choose one side, and stick with it (at least on a single website). Don’t mix them.

In a document, you have a tree-like organisation, based on titles and sub titles (or headers… hx in HTML). The thing most people forget, is that the name of the page, or even the goal of the page, is taken care of by the title tag already, and it’s not always the same as the documents you have inside.

Beside, there’s a technical glitch, because Google and the other give a strong weight to the h1 header, a too strong one. On a public (classic) website, this is important too.

Let’s take an example: a sitemap page (a page that has every single ressources of your website in it). The “Sitemap” semantic data will be taken care of by the title tag. Then, each of your main sections will be h1, each of your subsection will be h2, and so on to the individual page who will be ordered/unordered lists, or definition list, based on the specifics of this section and/or your website.

If h1 was meant to be alone, that would impose in this example of a tree the website itself. It might work for some websites, but not for most. For example, it won’t work for all the blogs out there.

Another example, based on real life semantic: the title of a book is it title or h1 ? I believe it’s title, and each chapter is h1, because each chapter’s title is in this paradigm (remember all semantics are relative) the chapters are the top level semantic level that are reproduced several times. title is unique by design, h1 is not.

But again, there are arguments on both sides of this. So make up your mind, and don’t mix the paradigm on a single website, and you will be ok.

dbulli · 2007-01-08 16:27:09

My opinion is that it can be used more than once per page, as long as these are the main sections on the page,

A also believe, contrary to popular belief, that it should NOT be used as the header/logo except on the homepage. i.e On article pages the main headers H1 should be the article title, and on section pages the section title should be H1, and subsequent article titles should be H2. Translation I want search engines to take the article title as the main search term, and not site or section.

Example:
nuff > technology has technology as H1 , and article titles as H2
i used tables, so sue me… uses article title as H1, section and site name are not in header tags

Last edited by dbulli (2007-01-08 16:27:50)

Pat64 · 2007-01-11 08:22:50

An edifying explanation! Tks lot Jérémie.

edeverett · 2007-01-11 22:30:58

I think I’ve settled on using it for both the site name/logo and the main page title on the grounds that I can’t decide which is more important. Although in my new site I’ve combined the site name, section and article title in one h1. (don’t look too hard at my html, it’s not total finished yet.)

Where it get tricky for me is when the page’s main content contains a list of page titles with links to their respective pages, should those also be h1s? (today I’m thinking not)

Jeremie · 2007-01-12 10:00:42

Nope they probably shouldn’t.

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#1 2007-01-07 13:51:09

Semantic question...

#2 2007-01-07 13:57:54

Re: Semantic question...

#3 2007-01-07 14:43:19

Re: Semantic question...

#4 2007-01-07 17:34:56

Re: Semantic question...

#5 2007-01-07 22:54:17

Re: Semantic question...

#6 2007-01-07 23:15:07

Re: Semantic question...

#7 2007-01-08 13:24:09

Re: Semantic question...

#8 2007-01-08 16:27:09

Re: Semantic question...

#9 2007-01-11 08:22:50

Re: Semantic question...

#10 2007-01-11 22:30:58

Re: Semantic question...

#11 2007-01-12 10:00:42

Re: Semantic question...

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