Make page headings useful for people who listen to the website

What to change

Ask your supplier to make the page's actual section structure match its visible headings, so people can navigate directly to the information they need.

A worked example

Illustrative example

A visitor can jump directly from the service introduction to What to expect and then Contact options using the heading list.

Healthcare website design showing connected desktop and mobile service and enquiry layouts. — Make the service and next step clear on every screen.

Healthcare website accessibility illustrated by a focus outline, keyboard key, contrast samples and form. — Review keyboard access, contrast and understandable form fields.

Why this matters to your practice

Headings are more than changes in font size. They help visitors find the part of a page that answers their question, including through a spoken list provided by screen-reading software. Ask your supplier to compare that list with the sections you intended: fees, preparation, access and contact details, for example. You can judge whether those names and relationships make sense. The supplier should handle the underlying structure without making your team learn heading codes or change a useful visual design unnecessarily.

How to check the result

Accept when the heading outline provides a useful map of the page without requiring the visitor to inspect visual size or weight.

A mistake to avoid

A numerically tidy sequence can still be unhelpful if headings do not represent the actual grouping of the page's information.

Turn reading into a next step

Your action checklist

Work through these checks with your team or supplier. Tick the ones you have resolved and leave unknowns open.

Checks to discussChoose a long page and compare its visible sections with a screen reader's heading list. Record missing headings and decorative text presented as a section.Inspect repeated cards and embedded panels. Their headings should fit within the surrounding hierarchy rather than restart an unrelated outline for each component.Repeat on two other templates. Ask the supplier to demonstrate that heading size can change visually without changing the section's structural role.

Your answers and notes

Record what you know, what is still missing and the answer you need from your team or supplier.

What happens next, and who will do it?

Use project decisions only, without personal, patient or confidential details. Entries stay in this page and are not submitted to Kay & Co. Copy or download before leaving; this page does not save your notes.

Related guides

Need help with this?

Tell us what is getting in the way. Kay & Co. can help you understand the options and turn the next step into something that works for your practice.

Explore websites & patient experience services or discuss your project.

Try the free Healthcare Digital Planner to find your starting priority.