Understanding and Fixing H1 Tag Issues in the Neve Theme

Many users of the Neve theme encounter a common SEO-related problem: H1 tags are missing from their pages, or the theme's structure doesn't place them where expected. This guide explains why this happens and provides the most common solutions based on community troubleshooting.

Why H1 Tags Go Missing in Neve

The core of the issue often lies in how the homepage is configured. A frequent setup is to set the homepage to display "Your latest posts." In this configuration, the page does not have a traditional page title, which is the element Neve typically wraps in an H1 tag. Instead, it lists your blog posts, whose titles are automatically output as H2 tags. This results in a page with zero H1 tags, which can negatively impact SEO.

Common Scenarios and Solutions

1. Homepage Set to "Your Latest Posts"

Problem: Your SEO analysis tool reports "No H1 tag was found" on your homepage.

Solution: The most straightforward fix is to change your homepage to a static page.

1. Go to WordPress Dashboard > Settings > Reading.
2. Change the setting from "Your latest posts" to "A static page."
3. Select a page for your homepage (you may need to create one first).
4. Ensure that the page you select has a title. Neve will use this title as the H1 for the page.

2. Using a Logo Without Site Title

Problem: When you use only a logo in the header (hiding the site title and tagline), the H1 tag for the site title disappears. If no other H1 is present on the page, this creates an SEO issue.

Solution: To maintain a proper heading structure while keeping your logo, you have a few options:

• Enable Site Title: In the Customizer under Header > Site Identity, ensure "Display Site Title" is checked. You can then use custom CSS to visually hide the text while keeping it accessible to search engines.
• Use a Custom Layout (Pro): The Pro version of Neve includes a Custom Layouts module that offers more control over header output and heading tags.

3. Blog Archive Page Missing H1

Problem: Your blog posts page (set as the posts page in Settings > Reading) is missing its H1 tag.

Solution: This often occurs because the title is disabled on that specific page.

1. Edit the page you have set as your posts page.
2. In the WordPress editor, check the "Neve" meta box settings on the right-hand side.
3. Ensure that "Disable Title" is not checked. Enabling the title will typically restore the H1 tag.

Important Note on Heading Structure

It is normal and correct behavior for a blog archive page (like your homepage showing latest posts) to have post titles as H2 tags. The page itself lacks a main title, hence the missing H1. For SEO best practices, having a single H1 that describes the page content is ideal. The solutions above help you achieve that structure within the Neve theme's framework.

If these solutions do not resolve your specific issue, it is recommended to seek further assistance in the theme's support forums, providing specific details and URLs for your site.