Download as PDF

Headings

A heading provides an introductory description of the topic dealt with in a section. Documents have one or several main headings (headings of the first order). The headings of the second order are headings of minor importance for a subsection or several subsections. Headings of the third order subdivide these subsections. This principle can be hierarchically continued to the heading of the sixth order.

The rich text editor presents headings in different sizes and formats (bold or italics) depending on their order. The visible output can, however, be completely different. Whether the online editor deems individual font sizes as too large, too small or exactly right should not refrain him from using headings in a logical and correct way related to contents. Headings on websites are the most important structural elements of a document for users of assisting technologies, such as Screenreader. It is thus possible to generate a table of contents from the headings or to jump from heading to heading - these are navigation helps that should not be underestimated. Headings represent a hierarchy. It is thus considered as bad style to leap heading levels. A heading of the first order, for example, should never be followed by a heading of the third order but only by headings of the second order. Disordered heading hierarchies primarily confuse users of screen readers who follow headings.