2.2 Heading structureMediumInferred
Skipped heading levels
Jumping from an h2 straight to an h4 breaks the logical outline that screen readers and crawlers rely on. Heading levels should step down one at a time.
What it is
h1→h3 with no h2.
Why it matters
Breaks the logical outline for parsers and assistive tech.
How to fix it
Use sequential levels.
How to find it on your site
- Extract the heading outline of the page.
- Look for skipped levels, for example h2 to h4.
- Reorder so levels nest correctly.
- Re-check the outline reads as a sensible hierarchy.
Cross-reference to ranking and citation factors
A clean heading hierarchy helps machines understand structure and aids accessibility. Skipped levels muddy both.
Impact
Low-medium. Inferred.
Evidence
Logical heading order aids structure/a11y. W3C, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2