Google’s John Mueller stated one thing he usually doesn’t say, the phrase “by no means.” He stated Google would by no means penalize a web site for not having an H1. John stated this on Reddit, including that it’s good apply and low effort to have H1s however you will not be penalized for not having them in your web site.
John does not like to make use of the phrase “by no means” as a result of issues in search usually change and alter loads. However I assume in the case of utilizing H1 attributes, and headers in your content material, not utilizing it will not result in Google outright penalizing your web site.
John wrote, “You’ll by no means be penalized for not having an H1.” “It is only a good apply, and it is normally one thing you will get for little to no effort,” he added.
A couple of years in the past, John even stated H1s aren’t essential to rating in Google Search.
Additionally, John stated in that Reddit thread “And, some folks do conceal them from being seen, which is a nasty apply, however not one that may end in your web site disappearing from search — with the identical quantity of labor, you may as properly simply model them and present them.”
Discussion board dialogue at Reddit.