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Heading structure checker

Enter a URL and we'll check its heading hierarchy — a missing <h1> or a skipped level (like jumping from <h2> straight to <h4>) breaks the outline screen reader users rely on to navigate the page.

Why heading structure matters

Screen reader users often navigate a page by jumping between headings (h1–h6), similar to how sighted users visually scan a page for structure. WCAG 1.3.1 (Level A) requires headings to convey a logical, programmatically determinable structure. A missing h1 leaves the page without a clear title landmark; skipped levels break the outline users rely on to understand how sections relate to each other.

FAQ
Can a page have more than one h1?
WCAG doesn't strictly forbid multiple h1s, but the common best practice — and what most screen reader users expect — is a single h1 that names the page's main content, with h2–h6 used for subsections.
What counts as a 'skipped' heading level?
Jumping more than one level down, like going from h2 directly to h4 without an h3 in between. Headings can skip back up (h4 to h2) when starting a new section — that's normal; the problem is skipping down.
Why does heading order matter if the visual design looks fine?
Sighted users see visual hierarchy through font size and spacing regardless of the underlying tag. Screen reader users rely entirely on the tag structure (h1–h6) to build a mental map of the page and jump between sections — a visual heading styled with CSS but marked up as a <div>, or a skipped level, breaks that entirely.

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