WordPress fix guide
Fix Heading structure problems on WordPress
Headings create an outline; random levels harm navigation.
This page ties the generic issue to how it usually shows up in WordPress markup and tooling, then walks you through a fix and verification loop.
Verify on a live URL
Scan, fix, deploy, then rescan the same address to compare reports.
Main issue guide: Heading structure problems →
At a glance
Instructional
Skips levels
Page title
Subsection (styled as heading but wrong level)
Logical sequence
H1 Page title
H2 Section
H3 Subsection
Increase heading levels by one where possible; avoid picking tags for font size alone.
Where this comes from on WordPress
Page builders letting editors pick heading levels for visual size; duplicated template sections.
What this issue means
Why structure matters
Screen reader users jump by headings. Skipping from h1 to h3 breaks expectations; multiple h1s can be acceptable if scoped correctly.
How to fix on WordPress
Page builders make it easy to pick heading blocks for visual hierarchy—audit outline view.
How to fix
Use levels in order for the outline; style via CSS instead of picking headings for size.
Wrap repeated sections in landmarks (header, nav, main, footer) to aid navigation.
Code snippet
<!-- One H1 per page in the theme; avoid skipping levels (H2 to H4) in block patterns. -->
Common mistakes on WordPress
- Using heading blocks for styling only.
- Duplicate section patterns each with `h1`.
- Fixing only one page while the pattern lives in a shared template.
- Caching plugins serving old HTML after fixes.
How to verify the fix
- In wp-admin, open the page on the front-end; use keyboard only through the fixed region.
- If you use a builder, re-publish/clear cache so changes appear.
- Rerun the public scan on the same URL and compare the report link.
Related: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships.
Same issue on other platforms
Related issues
Guides
Next steps
- Run a scan on staging or production.
- Re-read the main issue page for context and WCAG notes.
- WordPress accessibility hub for more platform resources.
TestAccessibility · WordPress fix · localhost:3001