Headings are not decoration

Using headings properly is one of the simplest and most powerful ways to improve both usability and searchability.

Why headings matter more than you think

When people land on a webpage, they don't start reading top to bottom like a book. They scan - quickly, often impatiently - looking for visual signals about where they are and whether the page has what they need.

Headings are those signals.

They help users understand the hierarchy of content, jump to relevant sections, decide whether to stay on the page, and build trust in the credibility and professionalism of the site.

And just as importantly, headings help machines understand what the page is about for search engines, build a table of contents for screen readers, and rank your content more effectively for SEO.

Using headings properly doesn't just make your content easier to read. It makes it usable. And for many people, it makes it possible.

Headings are structure, not style

It's common in CMS editors to see people bolding a line of text and increasing its font size to make it look like a heading. This might seem like a harmless shortcut - but it's not.

That bold line may look like a heading to a sighted user. But to a screen reader, it's just a paragraph. To Google? Also just a paragraph. To a user skimming the page with their eyes? It may be easy to miss.

Correctly marked headings tell the browser - and assistive tech - what the content means, not just how it looks.

This is the difference between decoration and structure.

Heading levels and their purpose

In HTML, there are six heading levels:

H1 serves as the main title of the page and is automatically handled by most content management systems. H2 creates top-level sections under the H1. H3 provides subsections under an H2. H4–H6 are rarely needed and only serve very deeply nested content.

The key is to follow a logical progression and avoid skipping levels or jumping around inconsistently.

Visual size is not the same as structural depth. Headings should reflect content hierarchy - not how you want it to look.

How poor heading use impacts real people

Many screen reader users rely on keyboard shortcuts to jump between headings. Some even generate a list of all headings on the page and use that as their table of contents.

Imagine trying to find "eligibility requirements" on a long page. If you're using a screen reader, you might press the "H" key to jump between headings, listen to each heading until you find the right section, and jump directly to that content.

But if "eligibility requirements" is just bold text instead of a real heading, you'll never find it. You'll have to listen to the entire page, word by word.

That's the difference between a 30-second task and a 10-minute frustration.

How poor heading use impacts search engines

Search engines treat headings as clues about your page's content.

When you write:

H2: Participation in the Sleep Study
H3: Age Requirements
H3: Health Criteria

You're giving Google and users a clear sense of what this page offers.

When you write bolded text that says "More info," skip heading levels entirely, or create inconsistent hierarchy like H2 followed by H4, you're providing no hierarchy, no clarity, and no real incentive for your content to rank well.

Common problems and their fixes

Using headings to control font size or style misses the point entirely. Headings should reflect content structure, not visual preferences.
Skipping from H2 to H4 breaks hierarchy and creates navigation problems for screen reader users. Always progress logically through heading levels.
Styling normal text to look like a heading makes content invisible to assistive technologies and search engines. Use proper heading tools instead of manual formatting.
Leaving out headings altogether creates friction for everyone trying to scan or navigate your content efficiently.

Checklist before you add a heading

Before creating a heading, ask what you're introducing - new topics deserve headings. Consider what level makes sense without skipping from H2 to H4. Ensure your heading is descriptive and avoids vague terms like "More info" or "Other."

Test whether someone scanning headings could understand your page structure and content. Always use the CMS heading tool rather than just bold text formatting.

Implementation in practice

Effective heading structure creates a logical outline that serves as both a visual guide and a navigation tool. Users should be able to understand your page's complete scope and organisation by reading only the headings.

This approach benefits everyone from quick scanners who need to find specific information to thorough readers who want to understand how topics relate to each other. It also provides clear signals to search engines about your content's structure and relative importance of different topics.

Check your understanding

Copy and paste this to ChatGPT when you're ready for feedback:

I've been completing some questions that have been presented to me as part of an SEO course. I'm currently answering questions for a section titled "Headings are not decoration". Please check my answers and let me know if I've understood the key ideas correctly. My responses are below.

1. A colleague argues that manually bolding text and increasing font size is "faster and more flexible" than using proper heading markup, especially when the CMS heading styles don't match their preferred visual design. Analyse why this approach creates problems beyond visual appearance, and explain how it affects different users and systems that interact with your content.

2. Which heading structure best serves both accessibility and SEO when your CMS automatically generates an H1 for the page title?

Starting with H2 for main sections, using H3 for subsections, and maintaining consistent hierarchy throughout
Using H2 for the most important content, H3 for secondary content, and H4 for everything else regardless of logical structure
Choosing heading levels based on desired font size and visual prominence rather than content hierarchy
Using multiple H2s for all major sections, then skipping to H4 for subsections to create visual distinction

3. You're editing a research participation page that currently uses inconsistent heading structure: some sections use proper H2 headings, others use bold text that looks like headings, and subsections jump from H2 directly to H4. The page covers eligibility criteria, study procedures, time commitments, and contact information. How would you restructure this content using proper semantic hierarchy, and what challenges might you face when explaining these changes to stakeholders who focus primarily on visual design?

4. A screen reader user contacts your organisation saying they can't efficiently navigate your website's content pages. They specifically mention difficulty finding key information like eligibility requirements and contact details, even though this information exists on the pages. Based on the principles in this lesson, analyse what structural issues might be causing this problem and propose both immediate fixes and longer-term content strategy improvements.