One of the most valuable elements on any web page for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the H1 title tag. This tag helps both search engines and users quickly understand what a page is about. However, despite its importance, H1 tags are often overlooked. Sometimes, they’re an afterthought—added hastily when a web page is built—or they’re simply not optimized for search intent and readability.
To maximize your website’s SEO potential, optimizing your H1 tags should be a core part of your strategy—not just an afterthought. Fortunately, artificial intelligence (AI) can streamline this process, helping you generate better H1 tags that are both keyword-rich and engaging.
Let’s walk through an AI-powered approach to refining your H1 title tags.
Step 1: Collect Your H1 Title Tags
Before optimizing your H1s, you need to gather all existing H1 tags across your website. The easiest way to do this is by exporting them into a spreadsheet, which will allow for quick analysis and batch improvements.
How to Collect H1 Tags:
- Use an SEO auditing tool like Screaming Frog (free for up to 500 pages) to crawl your website and extract H1 tags.
- Alternatively, use tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, or Google Search Console to collect H1 data.
- Export the data into a spreadsheet with two columns:
- Web Page URL
- H1 Title Tag
Step 2: Write Your AI Prompt
AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Google’s Bard can suggest optimized H1 tags if given the right prompt. The key is crafting a detailed and specific prompt to ensure high-quality results.
Example AI Prompt:
“As an SEO content expert, suggest improved, SEO-optimized H1 title tags for the following pages. Each title should be between 20-60 characters (never exceeding 70). Titles should be engaging, relevant to the content, and include primary keywords naturally. Exclude ‘| Marketing with Dave’ from the suggestions. Here are the existing H1 tags:”
Step 3: Review and Compare Your AI-Generated Suggestions
After running your prompt, AI will generate a list of alternative H1 title tags. The best approach is to compare AI-generated results from multiple tools like ChatGPT and Claude, as they may offer different perspectives.
Step 4: Implement, Tweak, and Test
AI can accelerate the brainstorming process, but it doesn’t fully replace human judgment. Since AI doesn’t understand your audience as well as you do, review each suggestion carefully and tweak it where necessary.
What to Look for When Choosing an H1 Title Tag:
- Keyword Relevance – Does it include the right keywords for SEO?
- User Intent Alignment – Does it match what visitors are looking for?
- Clarity & Conciseness – Is it clear and under 60 characters?
- Engagement Factor – Does it make someone want to read further?
Conclusion
AI is a powerful tool for optimizing H1 title tags, saving time while ensuring your titles are engaging and SEO-friendly. However, it’s not a replacement for human oversight. The best approach is to use AI-generated recommendations as a starting point, then refine them with your expertise and audience insights.