Long content should be organized with section headings
Rule
section-headings· Structure & semantics · impact minor · Static + live
Why it matters
Headings let readers scan, and let screen-reader/keyboard users jump between sections instead of wading through everything linearly. This page-level heuristic looks at the main content area (
How to fix
Add an h2 for each major section of the main content (h3+ for subsections). Keep headings descriptive (2.4.6) and in outline order (no skipped levels).
Example
<body><main><h1>Complete guide to garden soil</h1><p>Healthy garden soil is the foundation of every productive vegetable bed, and building it takes several seasons of steady attention to structure, drainage, organic matter, and the countless living organisms that slowly break plant residues down into stable humus.</p><p>Compost is the single most valuable amendment available to a home gardener because it feeds the soil life while improving both water retention in sandy ground and drainage in heavy clay, and a two-inch layer worked into each bed every spring keeps that balance steady.</p><p>Mulching the surface with straw or shredded leaves protects the soil from crusting rain and baking sun, keeps moisture levels even through the driest weeks of summer, suppresses most annual weeds, and slowly adds even more organic matter as the bottom layer decays.</p></main></body>
<body><main><h1>Complete guide to garden soil</h1><h2>Why soil health matters</h2><p>Healthy garden soil is the foundation of every productive vegetable bed, and building it takes several seasons of steady attention to structure, drainage, organic matter, and the countless living organisms that slowly break plant residues down into stable humus.</p><h2>Compost</h2><p>Compost is the single most valuable amendment available to a home gardener because it feeds the soil life while improving both water retention in sandy ground and drainage in heavy clay, and a two-inch layer worked into each bed every spring keeps that balance steady.</p><h2>Mulch</h2><p>Mulching the surface with straw or shredded leaves protects the soil from crusting rain and baking sun, keeps moisture levels even through the driest weeks of summer, suppresses most annual weeds, and slowly adds even more organic matter as the bottom layer decays.</p></main></body>
WCAG success criteria
2.4.10 Section Headings — Level AAA
Where content is organized into sections, those sections need headings — long runs of prose without h2–h6 headings are hard to scan, navigate, and orient within.
Standards
This rule contributes to the following standards:
WCAG AAA