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Web Accessibility

Quick tips that everyone can use to make their websites and pages more accessible.

Headings & Document Structure

Use the headings provided by your website or software (H1, H2, H3, etc.) You can use paragraph styles in any writing program like Word or Google Docs and headings for websites built on Drupal, WordPress, Cascade, and LibGuides. You can find them in a dropdown labelled "Format," "Normal Text," or similar.

Proper use of headings gives your writing structure: assistive technologies use them to build a table of contents that a user can navigate through. They also make long documents easier to scan. Search engines use the text in headings for discoverability and will give it greater relevance.

DO: DON'T:
  • Use headings to break up long blocks of text.
  • Use headings in numerical order as if you are building a table of contents.
  • Keep headings short - 5 to 8 words is good.
  • Create the appearance of a headline by increasing the font-size or color.