Checks

H1 length

Checks that the page's h1 heading stays at or under 70 characters, long enough to be descriptive but short enough to read as a single clear statement.

Updated 2026-07-19minorHeadings

What this check looks for

For a page with exactly one h1 (see headings.h1.presence), this check measures the visible text length of that heading — falling back to an alt attribute on an inner image if the heading itself has no text. Text over 70 characters warns; 70 characters or fewer passes. Pages with no h1 report "na" here.

Why it matters

An h1 works as a scannable summary of the page for visitors skimming the layout, and a heading that runs long stops reading as a single idea — it starts looking like a sentence or a list of keywords stitched together, which is harder for a person to parse and less convincing as a topic statement. It's the same problem for AI systems extracting a page's main claim from its outline: a long, run-on h1 is more likely to get truncated or paraphrased incorrectly than a short, precise one that can be quoted directly.

How to fix it

Trim the h1 to its essential subject:

html
<!-- 96 characters — too long -->
<h1>Everything You Need to Know About Our New Wireless Noise-Cancelling Headphones With 40-Hour Battery</h1>

<!-- 45 characters — concise -->
<h1>Wireless Noise-Cancelling Headphones</h1>

Move supporting detail (battery life, price, availability) into the body copy or a subheading instead of packing it into the h1 itself.

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