content
How to fix: Heading structure covers enough subtopics
Part of the Content Quality pillar on the Site Integrity Index.
Why this matters
Sections with H2s are scan-friendly landmarks for readers AND parseable structure for AI answer engines. A flat page with one heading offers neither, and reads as a wireframe rather than a considered offer.
Background
What it checks: the page's H2/H3 structure breaks the topic into a reasonable number of subtopics, rather than being one long undivided block of text. Why it matters: structured subtopics are what AI extraction tools use to pull specific answers out of a page. An undivided wall of text is much harder to cite from accurately.
References
Editorial content-quality signal — heading-structure heuristic. AI extraction tools use H2/H3 boundaries to segment answers for citation.
How to fix
Break the page into logical sections with descriptive H2/H3 headings — "What it checks," "Why it matters," "How to fix" is exactly this pattern, and it's reusable across any guide-style content. Aim for at least three H2 sections on a guide-length page. Skip decorative headings that don't add topical navigation.
Verify it's working
View the page's outline (browser reader mode helps). If it collapses to just the H1 and a wall of paragraphs, add H2 breaks at the topical shifts.
Want to know if your site has this issue?
Run a free audit — security, GDPR, technical SEO, AEO/GEO, and WCAG accessibility.
Audit my site →