Using HTML tags in website development is crucial for producing properly structured and semantically sound web pages. The prominence of the text within the content hierarchy is indicated by two of the most commonly used HTML heading tags, which are <h1> to <h6>.

Yet, some developers might decide to place <div> tags inside their headlines, which might affect SEO. In this article, we'll examine how using <div> within heading tags may impact SEO and explain why using <span> is a preferable choice.

Let's first look at the function of <div> and <span> tags. <span> is an inline-level element that is used to style specific pieces of text, whereas <div> is a block-level element that is frequently used to group and style material within a web page.

The semantic meaning of the text may be impacted by using <div> tags inside heading tags, and search engines may become confused as a result. Search engines utilize headers to comprehend a web page's content hierarchy and assess the value and relevancy of the material. Search engines could misinterpret the material and might not give it the proper level of importance if <div> tags are used within headings.

This is an illustration of how including a div inside a <h1> tag might affect SEO:

        <h1>This is a <div>Heading</div> with a div tag</h1>

The use of <div> within the <h1> element in the aforementioned example may lead search engines to see the text as being less significant or relevant than other headings on the page. This can cause the material to appear less frequently and rank lower in searches.

On the other hand, employing <span> tags inside headings can assist in maintaining the text's semantic meaning and prevent search engine misunderstanding. Without changing the content's main meaning, styles can be applied to specific passages of text within headings using the span> tag.

Here is an illustration of how using span inside of <h1> tags may assist with maintaining SEO:

<h1>This is a <span class="important">Heading</span> with a span 
tag</h1>

In the above example, the use of <span> with a class of "important" helps to indicate to search engines that the text within the <h1> tag is still relevant and important, even with additional styling applied.

In conclusion, while the use of <div> tags within headings may seem like a quick and easy way to style content, but it can potentially impact SEO and the overall semantic meaning of the content. Using <span> tags with appropriate classes can help maintain the semantic meaning of headings while also allowing for additional styling. As always, it's important to prioritize creating well-structured and semantically correct web pages to improve SEO and provide a better user experience.