🧭 Overview
When Search Atlas audits your website, it flags on-page issues that can quietly hurt your search rankings. Three of the most common — hidden H1 tags, missing Open Graph tags, and missing image alt text — are easy to misunderstand but straightforward to fix. This article explains what each issue means, why it matters, and how to resolve it.
🔄 How to Run a New Site Analysis
Before reviewing any issues, make sure your audit data is up to date. Follow these steps to run a fresh analysis:
- Log in to Search Atlas and open the Site Auditor from the left-hand navigation.
- Select the project you want to audit, or add a new one by entering your domain.
- Click Run New Analysis in the top-right corner of the dashboard.
- Wait for the crawl to complete — this typically takes a few minutes depending on site size.
- Once finished, your updated results will appear automatically in the Issues tab.
Re-running an analysis after making fixes is the best way to confirm that issues have been resolved.
🏷️ What Is a Hidden H1 Tag — and Is It Good for SEO?
An H1 tag is the main heading on a webpage. Search engines treat it as a strong signal for what the page is about. A hidden H1 means the tag exists in the page's HTML code but is not visible to users — for example, it may be styled with display: none, visibility: hidden, or positioned off-screen.
Is a hidden H1 effective for SEO? No — and it can be harmful. Here is why:
- Google's guidelines discourage hiding content from users while serving it to search engines. This is considered a deceptive practice and can trigger a manual penalty.
- If users cannot see your H1, it does not help them understand your page, which can increase bounce rates.
- A visible, well-written H1 reinforces your page's topic for both users and search engines.
To fix this issue, make your H1 tag fully visible on the page. Update its CSS so it is displayed normally and positioned within the page content. Every page should have exactly one visible H1 that clearly describes the page topic.
📣 What Are Open Graph Tags and Why Do They Matter?
Open Graph (OG) tags are snippets of code placed in your page's <head> section. They control how your content appears when shared on social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter).
When Open Graph tags are missing, social platforms will attempt to guess the title, description, and image for your page — often with poor results. This can lead to unappealing link previews that reduce click-through rates from social media.
The most important Open Graph tags to add are:
- og:title — The title of the page as it should appear in a share preview.
- og:description — A short summary of the page content (recommended: 150–160 characters).
- og:image — A URL to the image that should appear in the preview (recommended size: 1200 × 630 pixels).
- og:url — The canonical URL of the page.
To fix missing Open Graph tags, add them to the <head> section of each affected page. If you use WordPress, plugins such as Yoast SEO or Rank Math can add these tags automatically. On other platforms, consult your theme or developer documentation for how to add custom meta tags.
🖼️ What Is Missing Image Alt Text and How Do I Fix It?
Alt text (alternative text) is a short written description added to an image's HTML tag using the alt attribute. For example: <img src="team-photo.jpg" alt="Search Atlas team at the 2024 conference">.
Missing alt text matters for two key reasons:
- Accessibility: Screen readers used by visually impaired users rely on alt text to describe images. Missing alt text makes your site harder to use for these visitors.
- SEO: Search engines cannot see images — they read alt text to understand what an image shows. Descriptive alt text helps your images appear in Google Image Search and reinforces your page's topic.
To fix missing alt text:
- In Search Atlas, go to the Issues tab and filter by Missing Alt Text to see all affected images.
- Click on any flagged URL to see which images are missing alt text on that page.
- Open your CMS (for example, WordPress Media Library) and add a concise, descriptive alt text to each image.
- Avoid keyword stuffing — write naturally, as if describing the image to someone who cannot see it.
- Leave the alt attribute empty (alt="") only for purely decorative images that add no informational value.
✅ Quick Summary
- Hidden H1: Make it visible — hiding headings from users violates Google's guidelines and can trigger penalties.
- Open Graph tags: Add og:title, og:description, og:image, and og:url to every key page to control how your content looks on social media.
- Missing alt text: Write clear, descriptive alt text for all informational images to improve both SEO and accessibility.
- Re-run your audit after making fixes to confirm the issues are resolved.
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.