2.4.10 Section Headings

1. What is the goal of this criterion?

Walls of text are one of the biggest annoyances on the web. When you face a huge block of text with no idea where anything is, even the best content becomes a chore. People who rely on screen readers or have cognitive disabilities are hit especially hard by unstructured text.

The goal of WCAG Success Criterion 2.4.10 is clear: when content is organized into sections, each section gets a heading. That turns a pile of text into a clear, navigable structure – like a well-sorted bookshelf.

2. What exactly does it require?

This criterion is about organizing content into sections:

Section headings are used to organize the content – wherever a text can sensibly be divided into sections.

“Heading” is meant broadly – it includes titles, subheadings and other ways of labeling sections.

Important: the criterion covers sections within text, not interface controls such as buttons or form fields. Those are covered by Name, Role, Value.

How it relates to other criteria: 2.4.10 requires that headings exist at all. That existing headings are marked up as headings in the code is required by Info and Relationships; that they describe the content accurately is required by Headings and Labels.

Not all content needs sections: some texts can’t sensibly be split up – a short letter or a brief notice, for example. In that case there are no sections that would need a heading.

An example: a menu with the sections “Starters”, “Soups”, “Mains” and “Desserts” meets the criterion. A short three-paragraph blog post doesn’t necessarily need subheadings.

3. Why does it matter for accessibility?

Imagine navigating a long page with a screen reader – and there are no landmarks at all. It’s like walking through an unfamiliar city with no street signs.

Section headings improve accessibility because they:

• help blind and visually impaired people orient themselves and jump quickly between sections
• give people with cognitive disabilities a map of the content
• let keyboard users, combined with proper markup, jump efficiently from heading to heading
• help people with attention disorders find relevant content quickly
• give everyone a better overview – especially in long or complex content

And finally: well-structured content is easier to skim, summarize and display on different devices.

4. How to meet the criterion

The quality of your headings decides whether a page is genuinely structured – or just looks that way. Here are some proven tips:

Good section headings …

• are descriptive – they tell you right away what the next section is about.
• follow a logical hierarchy – the levels reflect how the content is organized.
• are concise and clear – avoid vague phrases like “More information”.
• are used only where they help – not every paragraph needs its own heading.

Tools and techniques:

• Use HTML headings: h1 for the page title, h2 for main sections, h3 for subsections and so on.
• Don’t skip levels: jumping from h2 straight to h4 doesn’t fail this criterion, but it confuses navigation – avoid it.
• Screen reader test: open the list of headings – does it read like a sensible table of contents on its own?
• Browser extensions: tools like HeadingsMap show the heading hierarchy at a glance.

<h1>Menu</h1>
<h2>Starters</h2>
<p>…</p>
<h2>Mains</h2>
<h3>Vegetarian</h3>
<p>…</p>

Concrete examples:

• Good: “Features at a glance”, “Pricing and plans”, “Customer reviews”
• Bad: “Read more”, “Details”, “Important information”

When native headings aren’t possible: if your system doesn’t allow real h elements, you can mark up an element as a heading with role="heading" and aria-level. Styling alone (bold, larger text) is not enough – only sighted people can see it.

5. Why this criterion matters for businesses

2.4.10 is a Level AAA criterion and not legally required under the European Accessibility Act or its German implementation, the BFSG – the underlying standard EN 301 549 requires WCAG 2.1 Level AA. The required criteria 1.3.1 and 2.4.6, however, apply exactly where headings already exist. Structure your content well and you cover both.

1. Better usability

Clear section headings make your content more accessible to everyone. People find what they’re looking for faster – especially on FAQ pages, product descriptions or longer articles.

2. Indirectly better findability

Accessibility is not a direct ranking factor. A clean heading structure does help search engines understand the topic and structure of a page – an indirect but real benefit.

3. More efficient content work

Structured content is easier to reuse, update and publish in different formats. A clear outline turns an article into a presentation or white paper in no time.

This section is general information, not legal advice.

6. The success criterion in the W3C’s words

Success Criterion 2.4.10 Section Headings (Level AAA)

Section headings are used to organize the content.

Note 1: “Heading” is used in its general sense and includes titles and other ways to add a heading to different types of content.

Note 2: This success criterion covers sections within writing, not user interface components. User interface components are covered under Success Criterion 4.1.2.

In short: wherever content is divided into sections, each section gets a heading – for interface components, 4.1.2 applies instead.