The meta title is what someone sees in Google. The H1 (main heading) is what they see when they land on your page. These two should complement each other, otherwise it looks as if the visitor has ended up on the wrong page.
Example: mismatch
Meta title: "Bakery in Utrecht - Fresh bread every morning | Broodhuis"
H1 on the page: "Welcome to our website"
See the problem? The searcher clicked on something about fresh bread in Utrecht. The page suddenly shows a generic welcome message. Confusing. Chance of them leaving straight away (bounce): high. Google notices that and lowers your rankings.
Example: a good match
Meta title: "Bakery in Utrecht - Fresh bread every morning | Broodhuis"
H1 on the page: "Fresh bread, every morning from 07:00 in Utrecht-Noord"
Now the H1 confirms what the title promised. The searcher knows right away: yes, I am in the right place. They stick around, keep reading and are more likely to convert.
Why is this a ranking factor?
Google pays attention to 'user signals': how do visitors behave when they land on your page? If 80% leave immediately, Google assumes your page is not relevant to the search query. If visitors stay and click through, that is a strong positive signal.
What can you do?
- Check every important page: open it in Google (or via a search), note down the title. Click through and note down the H1. Do they say the same thing?
- Match the main keyword: if 'wedding venue Arnhem' is in your title, put it in your H1 too (some variation is fine, but the core has to be there).
- Use one H1 per page: never two, never zero.
- Keep the H1 short and punchy: 5-10 words, including the main keyword.