Titles and heading 1 are both critical for screen reader users, each has a different purpose.
Title
- The HTML <title> tag for web pages. Seen in the browser and search result pages.
- The Document Title field for PDF, InDesign, Word, PowerPoint, etc. Usually found in the Document Properties.
- Screen readers used document titles to identify the browser tab or the active document.
- A webpage or document can only have one title.
Heading 1
- The HTML heading 1<h1> tag.
- Heading 1 is a text formatting style that is available in HTML, PDFs, Microsoft Word, and other text editors.
- You can have more than one heading 1 in a document, but web pages are clearer when they only have one.
Accessibility Tips for Titles and Headings
Webpages
- Title: The first thing screen readers read when a webpage loads, but not included in the heading heirchny for navigating the page.
- Heading 1: Defines the main idea of the page.
- Part of the heading heirachy that screen readers use as a way to quicly navigate different sections on a webpage.
- The the accessibility best practice is to have one heading 1 per page because it is easy for screen readers users to find it by using number 1 on the keyboard.
- Although HTML specifications allow for more that one heading 1 per page, most web pages are short and only need one.
Documents
PDF Documents
- Title: The first thing screen readers read when a PDF opens, but not included in the heading heirchny for navigating the page.
- Heading 1:
- PDFs are often long form content. It is helpful to use multiple heading 1’s to indicatate main sections of the document like, parts and chapters.
- For short documents, only one heading 1 is needed. It should be the same or similar to the title.
Microsoft Word and Other Text Editors
- Title: The first thing screen readers read when a document opens, but it is not included in the heading hierarchy for navigating the page.
- Heading 1:
- For long documents, it’s helpful to use multiple heading 1s to indicate the main sections of the document, such as parts and chapters.
- For short documents, only one heading 1 is needed. It should be the same or similar to the title.