In the January dossier, we looked at a concept in TF*IDF as it relates to zone length. We found that having a shorter H1 zone, where the only content in the H1 was the target keyword, did not provide a ranking boost. This test is a follow up to see if having a longer zone, which allows more context, provides a ranking boost.
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This is a follow up to a test that we did in January where we did a test just looking at having a target keyword as the H1, so a shorter H1 zone. It is an old school concept from TFIDF where importance is designated by shorter zones. So in this case, the H1 would just be target keyword and we wanted to see if that would provide a ranking boost and it did not. Then, I wanted to check the other way, it makes more sense that a longer H1 would provide more context. Wanted to see if a longer H1 zone would provide a ranking boost.
In this test, 5 pages were created in the normal way. The test page, the number 3 ranking page has a longer H1 – 5 or 6 word H1 containing the target keyword and the control pages 1, 2, 4, and 5, all just had one word H1s with the idea that if the longer H1 provides ranking boost, it would move up. It it is a negative, it would drop down.
No movement is what we got. The test was run three times. Test one and two, there was no movement. In test three, it did drop to the bottom of the serps, I think it is just an anomaly. Looking at this test being run six times when you also count the other one, no movement here. I don’t think zone length, how long your H1 is, is going to make any ranking impact. Obviously, the words that you use inside your H1 certainly can impact rank but just the size of it alone isn’t going to be a benefit one way or another.