Headings

The Map of Your Document

• What: In digital content, headings are for structure, not just “big bold text.”
• Why: Assistive Technology (like screen readers) and digital platforms rely on H1 through H6 to navigate. Without them, a user must listen to an entire document linearly rather than jumping to the section they need.
• When: Use headings to outline main points and sub-headings to refine details. If your document was a book, headings would be your Table of Contents. Always use “Nested” order. Never skip levels (e.g., don’t jump from H2 to H4 just because you prefer the font size).
• Check: Open the Navigation Pane in your source document. If it’s empty, your readers have no map of your document.

Accessible Writing Tip: Informative, Semantic Titles and Headings

Accessible Writing Tip: Informative, Semantic Titles and Headings

In the following video, learn more about why informative semantic titles and headings are helpful for your content, whether on a webpage or in a digital document.

Mastering Web Accessibility: Underlined Text

The following video shows how you can add meaning to your content without relying on underlines, bold, and italics to style your text.

Style your content with Headings

Most platforms provide ways to add headings, but they are often found under “Styles” or “Paragraph Format.” Using these built-in tools ensures the “semantic heading tags” are built into the file to meet accessibility standards.

Microsoft Word

Word uses the Styles Gallery on the Home tab.

Improve Accessibility with heading styles

The following support page from Microsoft details how to add heading styles to your Word documents. You can also review the following support page for additional details Accessibility Resources and Tutorials: Microsoft Office.

Google Docs

In Google Docs, use the styles dropdown menu (usually says “Normal Text”) to assign levels.

The following video details how to create a heading in Google Docs. You can also review the following support page for additional details Accessibility Resources and Tutorials: Google Docs.

Canva

Canva allows you to edit “semantics” or “tags” to ensure your creative designs stay accessible.

The following video details how to edit semantics or ‘tags’ in your designs for better accessibility. You can also review the following support page for additional details Accessibility Resources and Tutorials: Canva.

Adobe Acrobat

• Note: Editing headings directly in a PDF is complex and prone to errors.
• The Golden Rule: Always fix accessibility in the source file (Word or Google Docs) before exporting to PDF.

If you must edit a PDF without the source file, we recommend exporting it back to Word first:

To export PDFs to Microsoft Office:

1. Open a PDF file
2. Choose the Export PDF tool
3. Choose format and select Export
4. Save your file

Resolving Heading Errors in PDF

From Adobe Tools, select Accessibility > Accessibility Check > Start Checking. If you have headings that are out of order, you edit the tag properties to select the correct option. From the accessibility report, find the headings that are out of order. From the Accessibility Tags pane, right-click the heading tag and select Properties. Select the appropriate heading level from the list of tags. Save.