Level AA · WCAG 2.0
2.4.6 Headings and Labels
Headings and labels describe the topic or purpose of what they introduce.
Manual only No automated check says anything useful.
How it fails in practice
Three sections in a row headed “Details”. A field labelled “Value” in a form asking for a tax rate.
How to fix it
Say what it is. A heading someone can skim to and understand out of context is the test.
At a glance
- Level
- Level AA — the level EN 301 549 requires, and therefore the level the BFSG and the EAA are measured against.
- Principle
- Operable
- Guideline
- 2.4 Navigable
- Added in
- WCAG 2.0
- EN 301 549
- 9.2.4.6
- Automated check
- Manual only
Manual only
How far an automated check gets
Nothing automatic decides this. A scanner that reports it as passing is reporting that it did not look. It stays untested until a person tests it and records what they did — which is exactly how we treat it: as untested, not as passed.
Where it matters most
The guides that list it among the criteria to check first.
- BFSG for telecommunications services
- TYPO3 accessibility and the BFSG
- WordPress accessibility and the BFSG
Related criteria
Other criteria under the same guideline.
Further reading
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Heading structure
A page's logical outline built with h1 to h6; for many screen reader users, the main way to skim a page.
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