H1 Tag as Logo on the Homepage.

[netviper]

So I was working on a Genesis theme website where they have the H1 Tag as the Logo on the homepage.  I wanted this changed because I always use my H1 tag to include a keyword I want to rank for.  I was told by the Genesis Forum Manager that Yoast said the Logo should be the H1 tag on the homepage.  (Yoast has a WP SEO Plugin that is very popular)

That makes no sense to me, so I was looking for Opinions.

Thanks,

[bradkrussell]

I agree with Doug - I would never have the H1 containing a logo. It should include 3-5 words that are you main targeted keywords/phrase for that page. (Be it company name, blog name, what you are offering etc)

Change the template so the logo isn't inside a H1 tag. I think nearly every SEOer would agree with this.

[netviper]

Thanks Doug.  I did mod the theme, but with genesis it isn't so easy.

[DougRoberts]

Yup, your context and your goals etc are all going to play their part. I don't agree that H1 = your logo on your home page. That's a bit too black and white for me.

Do whatever you need to do - nothing to stop you modifying the theme!

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[netviper]

Maybe if you are using WP for a blog at makes sense for the H1 tag, but I am using it as a CMS, so maybe that is not what he intemded.

[destdigi]

I agree with Doug, but w/out knowing what your website looks like or if you have the Yoast plugin. I'm assuming your CMS is wordpress You should double check your scripts (header.php) for the designated theme is pointing where appropriate for your H1, and make the necassary changes.

[DougRoberts]

Don't agree that that H1 tag should be your logo and I don't think this is what Yeost was getting at either.

According to this article on his blog, he suggests that the H1 tag on the homepage should be the "Blog's Name."

http://yoast.com/blog-headings-structure/

Single posts then have an H1 equal to the title of the article, and category pages would have the name of the description/tag.

You've got to be careful not to confuse the semantic structure of the content and the branding.

The function of the logo is to provide your content with a consistent brand across all page types. This isn't specific to the home page.

Besides, there are lots of logos that don't spell out their names of the entities they represent so you might want to have both your logo/ident and then say your company name spelt out in the H1.

You could also argue that the subject matter of the home page is not actually the brand/entity name but the value proposition - the "what's in it for you" and I've seen that used at the H1 heading too...

Just ask yourself what makes things easier for visitors to understand/interpret the content on the page depending on the type of site/organisation etc.

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