Structure a page so a reader and Google can both see its main topic and subtopics straight away.
Priya, who runs the tuition centre in Tampines, is building a new P5 maths page. Before she writes any paragraphs, she has to decide how the page is laid out. That layout decides whether a parent finds what they need, and whether Google can tell what the page is about.
Open one of your own service pages on your phone and scroll down without reading. Many small business service pages look the same on a phone. There's a large photo, then a welcome paragraph about the owner's passion, then one long block of text down to the contact form. A parent who only wants to know whether a centre teaches P5, and where it is, would have to read the whole thing to find out. Most won't.
Page structure does two jobs. It lets a reader find what they need without reading every word. It also helps Google work out the page's main topic and what each part covers. The focus here is structure only. Choosing words and writing sentences people finish are covered in "Content and copywriting that people read".
Headings are the larger lines of text that label each part of a page. Website builders mark them as levels. There's a main heading, usually called the H1, and subheadings beneath it that label each section.
Each page should have one clear main heading that says what the page is about. It can match the page title you wrote in lesson 3.1, "Title links and snippets", or say the same thing in slightly different words. For Priya's page that could be "P5 maths tuition in Tampines". A main heading like "Welcome" or "Our story" tells a parent nothing useful, and it tells Google nothing useful either.
Subheadings should describe each section plainly. Put them in the order the reader needs them. A parent comparing centres probably wants to know these things, roughly in this order: what is taught, how classes run, who teaches, where and when, what it costs or how to find out, and how to start. Subheadings such as "What we cover in P5" and "Class times and location" follow those questions, so a reader can jump straight to the part they care about.
Google's documentation encourages headings that help readers understand how a page is organised. It doesn't say a page needs a set number of headings or any particular pattern. Use a heading where the topic really changes. Write them so that someone who reads only the headings still gets the page's outline.
Lesson 1.2, "What Google says its ranking systems look at", explained that relevance starts with the words on the page. If the main search is "P5 maths tuition Tampines", the page should contain P5, maths, tuition and Tampines, in sentences where they fit. Some parents also search "primary 5 maths tutor". It helps to use those words somewhere too, so the page matches the different ways people ask the same question.
Related terms help in a quieter way. A P5 maths page that mentions fractions, ratio, percentage, problem sums and the PSLE reads as if it was written by someone who teaches the subject. You don't need a tool to find these words. They're the words you already use when you explain your work to a parent.
Every one of these words has to read naturally. If a sentence is only there to fit in a search phrase, cut it. Keyword stuffing breaches Google's spam policies, as lesson 1.4, "What gets a site demoted or removed", covered. Parents also notice it long before any algorithm does.
People arrive from Google with a question. If the first screen doesn't show them they're in the right place, many press back and choose another result. Put the most important information early. The first paragraph under the main heading should say what the page offers and who it's for. Everything else on the page backs up that opening.
This matters more on a phone, where the first screen shows only a few lines. A long welcome message or a large decorative image can push the answer below the point where people decide whether to stay. Check your page on a phone and make sure neither is doing that.
For Priya, the opening describes small-group P5 maths classes at her Tampines centre. They're for children who find problem sums hard or who want to stretch further before the PSLE, and they run on weekday evenings and Saturday mornings.
Priya drafts the outline as a plain list, in order, before she changes anything on her site:
Main heading: P5 maths tuition in Tampines What we cover in P5 maths How a class runs, and how you see progress Who teaches Class times, location and fees Book a trial lesson
Her two-sentence opening goes under the main heading, so the main search phrase appears in both the heading and the opening. In the first section, "Primary 5" and "problem sums" come up naturally. "PSLE" appears where she explains why P5 is a hard year. A parent can scan the six lines and know whether to read on.
Now do the same for one of your priority pages. Write its headings in order as a plain list before you change anything on the site. Include one main heading, then the subheadings in reading order. Then check where the main search phrase and two related terms appear, as the activity below asks.
Outline the headings on one priority page and check that the main search and two related terms appear where they read naturally.
Junxiong-WFG Organisation is an authorised representative of AIA Financial Advisers Private Limited (Reg. No. 201715016G).