Headings
Headings are vitally important when assisting in scanning and navigating your web page (see LevelAccess's simulation of Web Headings for Screen Readers). They also help with search engine optimization (SEO), letting search engines know what topics your web page contains.
Headings do not stand alone; they introduce subject matter. Headings should not be used to make paragraphs stand out, as that makes the content unscannable by your constituents. They should be no longer than 140 characters.
Proper Semantic Usage
In general:
- A level 1 heading (sometimes called "topic" or "heading") should be available somewhere at the top of your document. It typically defines the page's primary topic. It is often similar to the document or page's title.
- A level 2 heading (sometimes called "subtopic" or "subheading") must come after the level 1 heading. You can have multiple level 2 heading as long as each one appropriately introduces a topic.
- Level 3 through 6 headings come after the previous levels ordinally. Again, you can have multiple headings of these different levels, but they must be relevantly and ordinally placed. Do not go out of order. Do not skip a heading level.