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Re: Does WCAG require headings start at 1?

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From: Schulz, Leslie
Date: Jul 29, 2021 1:46PM

I believe that Lisa is on the right track of what users need.

I would like to point out that even though the w3.org is the organization responsible for creating the WCAG guidelines, this does not mean that every single page on the website was designed to serve as an example. Any website that large was written by many different people at many different times.
If there are failures on the site, please contact the w3.org and let them know, especially if that page is within the WCAG guidelines.

Automatic tools can give passing grades for headings if they find that no headings are skipped.

Only people can determine the logic of headings.

I once worked with a Bootstrap template that definitely passed automatic tools, but the headings were not logical for an outline.
Bootstrap is designed as rows.
The first "row" of the template had the h1.
The second row had h2's.
The 3rd row had h3's, etc. All the way to h6.

Think of headings as an outline of the page.
The h1, which should be at or close to the top, should state the main topic.
Then consider the outline.
H2's should be logical.
H3's should be related to the h2 they are under.

H1
H2
H3
H4
H3
H4
H2
H3

And, whatever you do, NEVER set a heading because you like the size you get when you do.
That is what css is for.

All that being said, this is an excellent article from the Paciello Group on what does and does not fail WCAG.

https://www.tpgi.com/heading-off-confusion-when-do-headings-fail-wcag/
They state that the only actual failures are
1. Heading-like text that isn't marked up as headings
2. Illogical heading order
3. Non-descriptive headings

That being said, I still vote for the logic of one h1 on the page.

Thanks,
Leslie