RankGear counts how many of a page’s H2 headings begin with a keyword variation, using a case-insensitive, start-anchored match on the H2 text. It returns a whole number — the count of H2s that lead with a variation. A variation buried in the middle or end of a heading does not count, and a higher count relates to, but never causes, position within a measured result set.
| Factor ID | RG-HDG-020 |
|---|---|
| Family | Headings |
| Measurement | Leading variation match count |
| Measured zone | H2 text |
What it measures
This factor counts the H2 headings on a page whose text starts with a keyword variation. It is a positional signal about your subheadings: it does not reward how many times a variation appears overall, only how many section headings open with one. The output is a simple count across all parsed H2 elements on the page.
How RankGear measures it
RankGear parses every H2 on the page and tests each one with a single case-insensitive, start-anchored regular expression. The pattern is built from the run’s match words, sorted alphabetically, and anchored to the beginning of the heading text. Any text after the variation is allowed, so a heading that opens with the variation and then continues still matches. Each H2 that matches adds one to the count.
What RankGear looks for
Pattern (start-anchored, case-insensitive): /^(content marketing)/i
<h2>Content Marketing for SaaS Teams</h2> → counts (variation leads the heading)
<h2>Why Content Marketing Matters</h2> → no count (variation is not at the start)How to optimize it
Lead an H2 with a relevant variation when it naturally states the topic of a major page section — not as a formula bolted onto every heading. Treat this count as an observation about how your subheadings are phrased, not a target to maximize. If a section is genuinely about the variation, opening its heading with that phrase is a reasonable, reader-friendly choice; forcing it into every heading is not.
Important considerations
- A variation that appears elsewhere in the H2 — mid-heading or at the end — does not count; only a leading match increments the total.
- The expression has no required boundary after the variation, so a heading whose opening simply begins with the variation’s characters can still match.
- Variation text is not regex-escaped in this compatibility calculation, so special characters within a variation are interpreted as regex rather than literal text.
- Avoid making every major heading use the same leading-variation formula; repetitive, templated headings read poorly for humans.
- Correlation is not causation: this count relates to position within a measured result set and acts as a prioritization signal — it does not make a page rank.
Related factors
Part of the Factors reference · how RankGear measures · glossary.