Accessible Headings

Contrary to what people might think, accessible headings are not created by adding larger, bolder type to a webpage or document section. Headings are meant for organizing page structure. They are not meant for page design. 

1. Headings are a specific feature used in website content management systems, on HTML pages, and within documents like Word, Google Docs or PDFs.
2. Heading features should not be used as a substitute for normal paragraph content.
3. Headings make it easier for search engines to scan web content.
4. Headings also inform readers and set expectations about the content that follows them.
5. Headings facilitate readability by breaking up blocks of text, which makes reading content online easier, especially on mobile devices and with screen readers. In fact, screen reader users often search a webpage by headings to navigate through the page.

Headings break up sections of content on a webpage or in a document, guiding the reader and setting expectations about what comes next on a page. Think of headings like a page or document outline.

• It's tempting to want to use a certain heading type for aesthetic purposes. However, when adding headings to a webpage or document, you should always use "nested" headings for all subsections.
• Every HTML page or document page needs to start with an H1 heading to signify the beginning of the main content section of the page. After that, nesting means that any subheadings below a main heading should be numbered in ascending order. A Heading 3 (H3) should always follow a Heading 2 (H2), a Heading 4 (H4) should always follow a Heading 3 (H3), and so on.
• Note that nesting applies to subsections of a main heading - you can have a series of H2 headings on a page if there are no subsections to the main content sections.