When it comes to content creation and optimization, even the smallest technical details can have a big impact on SEO performance. At RivalFlow, we make it regular habit to review user experiences, analyze processes, and fine-tune our recommendations to deliver the best results for our customers. That helps us to optimize the tool—and sometimes even fix mistakes—before anyone notices. That's what happened with headers (H1, H2, H3, etc.) in the new text to improve your page.
I’m sharing a behind-the-scenes look at an issue we noticed with header tags (H-tags). I give credit to our team for identifying, investigating, and resolving this to just elevate the tool with this fix. It seems small, but respecting strong content hierarchy is good for overall SEO performance. Plus, it makes for a better user experience as they move through your page.
One of my daily routines is diving into user experiences and analyzing Google Search Console results. By closely monitoring trends like clicks, impressions, and keyword performance, I ensure our tools are delivering actionable insights.
Recently, I spotted a dip in impressions that caught my attention. Although this specific drop wasn’t tied to our platform, it led me to reflect on a rare issue we encountered with H-tags in the past. Here’s how we handled it.
Headings in web content—H1, H2, H3, and so on—are critical for creating a logical structure. Search engines rely on this structure to understand content hierarchy, and errors here can subtly impact performance.
We discovered that in some cases, our content outputs were assigning H3 tags where H2 tags should have been used. That's especially concerning if our new text replaced an H2 with an H3--changing the signal to search engines in how important a topic was the the page. This misalignment added unnecessary complexity into the content structure. For example, a new section of an article might mistakenly appear as a subtopic of the previous section instead of a standalone thought.
Dan, our technical SEO expert, described the problem perfectly: “Content architecture should follow a logical format. If a heading represents a new topic, it needs to be an H2—not an H3 under an unrelated H2.”
When we dug into the issue, we found that a particular process in our content-generation workflow was unintentionally creating these mismatched tags. The good news? We caught and resolved it before it affected any customers’ SEO performance.
Under the hood of RivalFlow, the new copy that you paste into your article is formatted to carry over the appropriate markup. Ultimately, we made sure that new H2 sections are clearly defined, and H3s properly align under their respective H2s.
This fix may sound minor, but it has a significant impact. Properly formatted headings improve how search engines interpret content, which in turn enhances search visibility. Since implementing the solution, we’ve seen excellent alignment between the headings in our outputs and the intended article structure.
As Dan put it: “It’s subtle but super important. Consistency in heading tags ensures both search engines and readers understand the flow of content.”
While this was a small issue, it’s a reminder of why attention to detail is critical in content creation. Every aspect of content architecture plays a role in how search engines and readers interact with your site. By maintaining a logical structure and ensuring consistent formatting, you build a foundation for long-term SEO success.
As an SEO, the content structure is a minor but important piece to identify. -- Dan Silber
At RivalFlow, we’re committed to continuously improving our tools and processes, so our users can trust that every detail—down to the headings—is optimized for success.
Our content creator, Sidra, appreciated that the fix took an extra step out of the process. Before, adding new text to our existing articles came with a little clean up. Sidra had to make sense of how the new copy fit with the page's structure and fine tune it to match. With these improvements, RivalFlow shows that it recognizes the original page's content hierarchy and formats the new additions to match.
It's not just reducing the amount of work needed to add page improvements. This shows a commitment to respect your work. We're only here to build on what you've created and make it even better.
