# **🧭 Overview**

OTTO analyzes your page's HTML structure to identify headings and generate SEO suggestions. Occasionally, customers notice that OTTO is pulling H2 headings from sections like FAQs, sidebars, or footers rather than the main content area. This article explains why that happens and what you can do about it.

# **🤔 Why Does This Happen?**

OTTO crawls the raw HTML of your page exactly as a search engine would. It reads **all H2 tags present in the page's source code**, regardless of where they visually appear on the page. This means if your FAQ section, sidebar, or any other page component uses H2 tags, OTTO will include them in its analysis.

Common reasons OTTO picks up H2 headings from unexpected locations include:

- **FAQ sections using H2 tags:** Many FAQ plugins and themes mark each question with an H2 tag, which places them at the same heading level as your main content headings.
- **Widgets and sidebars:** Some themes apply H2 tags to widget titles or sidebar section headers.
- **Page builders:** Drag-and-drop builders sometimes assign H2 tags to decorative or secondary elements by default.
- **Third-party embeds:** Scripts or embedded components can inject their own heading tags into your page HTML.

# **⚙️ Is This an OTTO Issue or a Website Code Issue?**

In most cases, this is a **website code or theme structure issue**, not a bug in OTTO. OTTO is correctly reading the heading hierarchy that exists in your HTML. When non-primary content like FAQs uses H2 tags, it signals to both OTTO and search engines that those elements share equal importance with your core content headings — which may not reflect your intent.

That said, OTTO uses the heading data it finds to generate crawl suggestions. If the heading structure it reads is inconsistent with your page's actual content hierarchy, the suggestions it produces may feel off-target.

# **🛠️ How to Fix Heading Structure on Your Page**

To help OTTO — and search engines — correctly interpret your page structure, review and update your HTML heading tags as follows:

1. **Audit your page HTML:** Right-click your page in a browser and select *View Page Source* or use browser developer tools to search for all H2 tags. Note which sections they belong to.
2. **Reclassify FAQ and secondary headings:** Change FAQ question headings, sidebar titles, and widget headers from H2 to H3 or H4 tags. Reserve H2 tags for your primary content sections only.
3. **Check your theme or page builder settings:** Many themes and builders let you change the heading level for specific components without editing code directly. Look for a "Heading Tag" or "HTML Tag" dropdown in your FAQ plugin or widget settings.
4. **Re-run OTTO after making changes:** Once you have updated your heading structure, navigate to **OTTO SEO** in the left sidebar, open **SEO Automation**, and allow OTTO to re-crawl the page. OTTO will then reflect the corrected heading hierarchy in its suggestions.

# **✅ Best Practices for Heading Structure**

Maintaining a clean heading hierarchy benefits both OTTO's analysis and your overall SEO performance. Follow these guidelines:

- Use **one H1 tag per page** for the primary page title.
- Use **H2 tags only for main content sections** that directly support the page's primary topic.
- Use **H3 and H4 tags** for subsections, FAQs, sidebars, and supporting content.
- Avoid skipping heading levels (e.g., jumping from H1 to H4), as this can confuse crawlers.
- Treat your heading structure as an outline — it should reflect the logical flow and priority of your content.

# **💬 Still Seeing Unexpected Heading Suggestions?**

If you have corrected your heading structure and OTTO is still pulling headings from the wrong locations, or if you are unsure how to update your site's HTML, our team is here to help. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type **human teammate** to be connected with a member of our team.