Headings nested in landmarks

Definition Headings must be properly nested within a landmark.
Purpose
  • Headings provide a way to indicate the structure and to label the sections of content within a landmark.
  • Headings and there associated heading levels provide a way for people using assistive technology to understand and navigate the structure of the content within a landmark.
Required Yes for HTML5 and ARIA Techniques ruleset mapping
WCAG 2.0 Success Criteria

1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A, Primary Success Criterion)

Other Related Success Criterion:

Rule Category Headings
Scope Element
Target Resources Landmark elements
  • h1
  • h2
  • h3
  • h4
  • h5
  • h6
Techniques
  • Use an h1 element for the first heading in main landmarks.
  • Use an h2 element for the first heading in other top level landmarks.
  • Use heading elements to identify the content of each section within a landmark.
  • Properly nest of heading elements within a landmark (e.g. h2 follows h1 headings, h3 follows h2 headings, ...).
Informational Links