Issue 203

This issue checks whether a substantial, well-structured content page phrases at least one of its section headings as a question.

People ask answer engines questions. Engines match those questions against passages, and a heading phrased the way the question is asked is the strongest signal that the passage beneath it is the answer. This is the same mechanism behind "People Also Ask" results.

A passing implementation has at least one heading ending in ? or opening with a question word. A failing one is a long, well-sectioned page where every heading is a noun phrase.

Example: "How does billing work?" as an <h2> passes. The same section titled "Billing" fails.

Question headings are how a page enters answer surfaces. AI Overviews, People Also Ask and assistant answers are all question-shaped. A page with no question-shaped headings has no obvious hook for any of them.

Noun-phrase headings describe topics; question headings promise answers. "Billing" tells a model the section is about billing. "How does billing work?" tells it the section answers a question users actually ask.

It costs nothing. This is a rewording of existing headings, not new content.

It sharpens the writing. A section that cannot be phrased as a question it answers is often a section without a point.

The gate is deliberately narrow: this fires only on pages long enough and structured enough that question headings would genuinely help.

1. Find the questions your sections already answer. For each <h2>, ask what a user would type to get that section. That is usually the heading you want.

2. Rewrite the highest-value headings, not all of them. A page where every heading is a question reads as an FAQ, which is wrong for narrative content. One to three well-chosen questions is the target.

3. Use the user's words, not yours. "How much does it cost?" beats "Pricing model overview" — even if the second is more precise internally.

4. Keep the heading and the answer adjacent. A question heading followed by a 200-word preamble hands the engine a question with no answer attached (see issue #200).

5. Consider FAQPage schema where the page genuinely is a list of questions and answers — it makes the relationship explicit rather than inferred.

Do not add question headings to pages that are not structured content. This check does not ask for them on landing pages, listings or forms.

Failing

<h1>Complete guide to billing</h1>
<h2>Overview</h2>        <!-- 300+ words of real content across -->
<h2>Invoicing</h2>       <!-- three well-structured sections,   -->
<h2>Refunds</h2>         <!-- and not one question among them   -->

Passing

<h1>Complete guide to billing</h1>
<h2>How does billing work?</h2>
<h2>Invoicing</h2>
<h2>When am I charged?</h2>

One question heading is enough to pass; two or three is better. Not every heading needs to be a question.

Not evaluated — too short

<h1>Log in</h1>
<p>Enter your details.</p>

Not evaluated — too few sections

<h1>Release notes</h1>
<h2>Version 2.1</h2>
<p>(600 words)</p>

Fewer than three subheadings, so the structure gate does not open.

PixyScan detects this from the HTML your server returns, without executing JavaScript.

1. Structure gate. The check runs only when the page has both at least 300 words of body text (navigation, header and footer excluded) and at least three <h2>/<h3> headings. This is the definition of "structured content page" — long enough and sectioned enough for question headings to be worth having.

2. Heading scan. Every <h2> and <h3> is read and normalized.

3. Question identification. A heading counts as a question if it ends in ? or begins with: what, why, how, when, where, who, which, can, could, does, do, is, are, should, will.

4. Reporting. If the page passes the structure gate and has zero question-format headings, the issue is raised once, carrying the subheading count and a sample of up to five headings so you can see what to rewrite.

Why the gate matters: applied without it, this check would fire on every short page, landing page and form on the site. Requiring both length and sectioning means it only speaks where the advice applies.