Is it ever okay to skip from h2 to h4?

Usually no. Heading levels should reflect a real outline, not a visual styling shortcut.

Can a page have more than one h1?

It can, but the structure should still make sense. This tool flags cases that often confuse document hierarchy.

Does CSS heading size affect the result?

No. The checker evaluates semantic heading tags, not how big the text looks.

Structure

Heading Structure Analyzer

Paste any HTML and this tool audits the heading outline: h1 presence, level skipping, and empty headings.

Paste your HTML

Why heading order matters

Screen-reader users jump between headings with a single key ("H" in NVDA, VoiceOver rotor). A broken outline — missing h1, jumping from h2 to h4, or empty headings — breaks that navigation. WCAG 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) and 2.4.6 (Headings and Labels) both apply.

Common mistakes

Using headings for visual size ("this text should be big" → h1).
Skipping levels because the design has no h3.
Empty <h2></h2> used as spacers.

Editorial guidance

How this structure tool supports accessibility work

The heading structure analyzer is designed to turn a common accessibility review task into a repeatable workflow. It focuses on paste html and check heading order, missing h1, skipped levels, and empty headings. The goal is not to replace expert judgment, but to make the first review faster, more consistent, and easier to explain to designers, developers, QA teams, and content owners.

Use the output as evidence for a remediation conversation. A failed check normally means the implementation needs a closer look against WCAG 1.3.1, 2.4.6, while a passing check means the specific automated rule did not find a problem. Passing automated checks is helpful, but it is not the same as a full conformance claim.

For best results, test real production markup instead of simplified snippets. Templates, CSS state, JavaScript behavior, responsive layouts, and content changes can all affect the final accessibility experience. Re-run the tool after fixes so the before-and-after evidence is easy to compare.

Pair this tool with manual keyboard testing, zoom and reflow checks, screen-reader review, and content judgment. Those human checks catch issues that automated logic cannot reliably infer, such as whether labels are meaningful, instructions are clear, or a complete user task can be finished without a mouse.

How to use

1Paste the page section or full HTML template you want to inspect.
2Run the analyzer to find missing h1s, skipped levels, duplicate top-level headings, and empty heading tags.
3Fix the content hierarchy in source order so screen-reader users can navigate the page outline predictably.

FAQs

Tips here are tailored for the heading structure analyzer so people can move from checking to fixing faster.

What to verify manually

Keyboard: move through the related flow with Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter, Space, Escape, and arrow keys where the pattern expects them.

Assistive technology: check names, roles, states, reading order, announcements, and focus changes with at least one screen reader.

Content quality: confirm that instructions, labels, headings, errors, and alternatives make sense in the real user task.

This page is written as practical guidance, not a legal certification. For procurement, VPAT/ACR work, or regulated launches, combine tool output with expert review and documented manual test results.

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