Markdown Headings to HTML h1-h6 Tags

Markdown Headings to HTML

Markdown supports six levels of headings, corresponding to HTML <h1> through <h6> tags. There are two styles for writing headings in Markdown: ATX-style and Setext-style.

ATX-Style Headings

ATX-style headings use hash characters (#) at the beginning of the line:

# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3
#### Heading 4
##### Heading 5
###### Heading 6

This converts to the following HTML:

<h1>Heading 1</h1>
<h2>Heading 2</h2>
<h3>Heading 3</h3>
<h4>Heading 4</h4>
<h5>Heading 5</h5>
<h6>Heading 6</h6>

The number of # characters determines the heading level. A space after the # is required by most parsers for correct rendering.

Setext-Style Headings

Setext-style headings only support two levels. An underline of = creates an <h1>, and an underline of - creates an <h2>:

Heading 1
=========

Heading 2
---------

Best Practices

• Use only one <h1> per page for SEO — it should be the page title.
• Do not skip heading levels (e.g., jumping from h2 to h4).
• Keep headings concise and descriptive.
• Add a blank line before and after each heading for readability.