ContentFree

Question-Format Headers

Measures how many of your H2/H3 headers are phrased as questions. Question headers match natural AI queries and improve citation chances.

Why It Matters for AI Visibility

Users interact with AI engines conversationally -- they ask questions. When your H2 and H3 headings mirror those questions exactly, AI engines can map your content to user queries with high confidence. ChatGPT and Perplexity match user questions to page sections. A heading like "How does API rate limiting work?" directly matches the query "how does API rate limiting work," giving your page a stronger chance of being cited as the answer source. The closer the match between heading and query, the easier it is for AI to extract that section as a standalone answer. Google AI Overviews pulls section-level answers from pages. Question-format headers create natural question-and-answer pairs that are ideal extraction units. When your H2 asks the question and the following paragraph answers it, you have built exactly the structure AI engines prefer to cite. You do not need every heading to be a question. A natural mix works well. But pages where fewer than 20% of H2/H3 headings are questions are missing a significant alignment opportunity with how people actually query AI engines.

How We Score It

Only H2 and H3 headings are evaluated. H1 is your page title and H4 or deeper headings are too granular to impact AI extraction significantly. A heading counts as a question if it contains a question mark or starts with a common question word: what, how, why, when, where, who, which, can, does, do, is, are, should, will, would, or could. The score scales linearly based on the ratio of question headers to total H2/H3 headers. At 50% question headers, you hit a perfect 10. Reaching 35% earns a passing score of 7 or higher. Below 20%, you score 3 or less. The analyzer also suggests specific rephrased versions for up to three of your non-question headers, so you get concrete starting points for edits.
See how your site scores on this factorAnalyze My Site

How to Improve

  • 1

    Rephrase topic headers as questions

    Change "Pricing Plans" to "How much does it cost?" or "What are the pricing plans?" This directly matches how users phrase queries to ChatGPT and Perplexity. You do not need to change every header -- aim for at least half of your H2 and H3 headings.

  • 2

    Use the question words the analyzer recognizes

    Start headings with what, how, why, when, where, who, which, can, does, is, are, or should. These are the exact patterns detected. "Benefits of X" becomes "Why should you use X?" and "Getting Started" becomes "How do you get started?"

  • 3

    Add a question mark to implicit questions

    "How to Set Up Your Account" is technically a statement. Rephrasing to "How Do You Set Up Your Account?" makes it explicitly a question that AI engines match more confidently. The question mark alone can shift detection.

  • 4

    Keep a mix of question and statement headers

    Not every header needs to be a question. Section labels like "Prerequisites" or "Summary" are fine as statements. Aim for 50% questions among your H2/H3 headers to score a perfect 10, and at least 35% to pass.

Before & After

Before
H2: Installation
H2: Configuration Options
H2: Troubleshooting
After
H2: How Do You Install the SDK?
H2: What Configuration Options Are Available?
H2: How Do You Troubleshoot Common Errors?
Before
H2: Benefits of Meditation
H2: Getting Started
H2: Our Recommended Apps
After
H2: Why Should You Practice Meditation?
H2: How Do You Get Started with Meditation?
H2: What Are the Best Meditation Apps?

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need 100% of my headers to be questions?

No. The scoring reaches a perfect 10 at 50% question headers. A natural mix of question headers and descriptive headers works well. Forcing every heading into a question format can feel awkward and hurt readability.

Does the analyzer check H1 and H4 headers?

No. Only H2 and H3 headers are evaluated. H1 is your page title, which is usually a topic rather than a question. H4 and deeper headings are too granular to significantly impact how AI engines extract content from your page.

Does "How to..." count as a question header?

Yes. If the heading starts with "how," it matches the question-word pattern. However, adding a question mark or rephrasing to "How do you...?" is more explicit and matches natural user queries more closely.

Related Factors

Content

Header Hierarchy

Content

FAQ Sections

Content

Answer-First Format

Check Your GEO Score

Run a free analysis on your website and see how you score across all 52 factors.

Analyze My Site