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Re: Headings: requirements vs best practices

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From: Chagnon | PubCom
Date: Jun 21, 2016 2:34PM

Andrew's correct. They are not required.

However, you do have to take in account the user's expectations and avoid confusion. So in that light:

1. Since users often consider H1 the title of the webpage, it's a good practice to use it for your webpage titles. But not required.
2. Since users consider H1 the title of a page or a major section, it's a good practice to not overuse it, and having more than one on a page to title major sections is ok.

Many government agencies have their own interpretations of Sec. 508 and WCAG guidelines as they apply to their specific webpages and documents. Check with your agency about its specific policies. WCAG and Sec. 508 are a bit lousy goosey for a reason: not all webpages and documents can fit into one cookie-cutter format, so the guidelines have to be flexible enough to accommodate all sorts of information.

That's where best practices for your agency and specific types of content come into play.

--Bevi Chagnon