*This article is an English translation of a Japanese article.
When building a website, providing a clear and user-friendly structure is essential. Among these structures, the use of section headings plays a critical role from an accessibility perspective. For users who browse the web without relying on visual cues, such as those using screen readers or other assistive technologies, appropriate heading structures facilitate smoother access to information and help users understand page content quickly.
This article will discuss the role of section headings in web accessibility and provide guidance on their correct usage.
The Role of Section Headings
Section headings help organize content within a webpage, clearly separating and categorizing information for the user. They are crucial in several ways:
- Clarifying Information Structure: Headings help break down the page into logical sections, allowing users to locate specific information quickly.
- Supporting Navigation for Visually Impaired Users: Screen readers use headings to identify the structure of a page, providing users with an overview and allowing easy navigation without relying on visual cues.
- Enhancing SEO: Headings also communicate the page’s content to search engines. Using appropriate headings helps search engines correctly understand and evaluate page content.
Proper Use of Section Headings
1. Maintain a Logical Heading Hierarchy
Headings should follow a logical hierarchy. Use HTML heading tags (<h1> through <h6>) to clarify the importance and priority of information. For example, consider the following hierarchy:
<h1>: The main title of the page, used only once per page.<h2>: Main section titles, which fall under<h1>and cover major topics.<h3>: Subsection titles under<h2>, providing further details.<h4>to<h6>: For organizing even more detailed information, if necessary.
Example: HTML Code
<h1>Understanding Web Accessibility</h1>
<h2>The Role of Section Headings</h2>
<h3>Organizing Information</h3>
<h3>Supporting Screen Readers</h3>
<h2>Proper Use of Heading Tags</h2>
<h3>Maintaining Heading Hierarchy</h3>
<h3>Ensuring Text Alignment with Headings</h3>
We have released the UUU Web Accessibility Widget Tool, designed to make web accessibility easy to implement. This tool helps improve the accessibility of websites quickly and efficiently, even without specialized knowledge.
If you’re interested in enhancing your website’s accessibility, please check out the details. We are here to support you in making your website more user-friendly and accessible to a wider audience.