This factor counts how many H4 headings on a page have text that exactly equals one of your keyword variations — nothing more, nothing less in the heading. It returns a whole-number count, and the key caveat is that any extra descriptive words in the heading break the match, so treat the number as an observation of your existing structure rather than a target to chase.
| Factor ID | RG-HDG-048 |
|---|---|
| Family | Headings |
| Measurement | Whole-heading variation match count |
| Measured zone | H4 text |
What it measures
RankGear counts the H4 headings on the page whose whole text is equal to a keyword variation. A heading only contributes to the count when its complete text matches a variation exactly — a heading that contains a variation alongside other words is not counted. The result is a simple tally of exact-match H4s, measured only within the deepest heading tier this factor inspects.
How RankGear measures it
RankGear parses each H4 element and tests its text against a single case-insensitive expression built from the sorted variation set and anchored at both ends. Because the expression is anchored to the start and end of the heading, only headings whose entire text is a variation register as a match; partial or embedded matches do not count.
What RankGear looks for
<h4>keyword variation</h4> ← whole text is a variation → counts
<h4>More on keyword variation</h4> ← extra words → does not count
match pattern (case-insensitive, anchored):
^(variation-a|variation-b|variation-c)$| H4 text | Counts? |
|---|---|
| Text equals a variation exactly | Yes |
| Variation plus any extra descriptive words | No |
| Page has no H4s (shallow structure) | No — score is zero |
How to optimize it
Use a complete variation as an H4 only when it is an accurate label sitting inside a valid, lower-level heading hierarchy — that is, where an H4 genuinely belongs beneath its parent H2/H3 headings. Do not add H4s purely to raise this count. Read the number as a description of the structure your content already has; if a variation does not earn a place as a fourth-level subheading, forcing one in works against clear document structure.
Important considerations
- Extra descriptive text in the heading prevents a match — only whole-text equality is counted.
- The variation alternatives are not escaped before the regular expression is evaluated, so unusual characters in a variation can affect how the expression behaves.
- Pages with shallow structures may correctly score zero; a zero is not automatically a deficiency.
- Do not introduce H4s just to mirror a competitor’s structure.
- This is a correlation-based prioritization signal measured within a result set. A higher count does not make a page rank or guarantee any position — it describes how the page’s H4 labeling relates to the measured field.
Related factors
Part of the Factors reference · how RankGear measures · glossary.