Headings provide an organizational outline of a web page and help users access material effectively and efficiently. They are helpful to users who want to scan a page for information or review a page to revisit a particular topic. Without proper headings, though, a screen reader won't differentiate between various topics on a page, so the correct coding of headings is imperative. Here are our standard guidelines:
- Use heading tags (<h>) rather than simple formatting
- Headings are classified into levels beginning with h1
- h1 is used for page titles
- h2 is used for navigation
- h3 denotes a top level content heading
- h4 denotes a sub-heading
- Do not skip heading levels
- Heading text should be unique and descriptive
Source: M. Wherley