Headings and Labels
Headings and form labels must describe the topic or purpose of the content they introduce. They don't have to be unique, but they do have to be informative — a heading that reads 'Information' or a label that reads 'Field' fails this SC.
What it asks
When a section has a heading or a form control has a label, the text must actually describe what follows. Screen-reader users use headings and labels as the page’s table of contents — JAWS users press H to jump heading-to-heading, and form mode reads labels aloud as each field receives focus. Vague text breaks this entire navigation model.
The SC does not require headings to exist everywhere, only that the ones that do exist are descriptive. (For when headings are required, see 2.4.10 at AAA.)
How to meet it
- Write headings that name the section, not the design intent:
"Shipping address"not"Section 2","Frequently asked questions"not"More info". - Pair every form control with a visible
<label>whose text describes the input. Avoid placeholder-as-label, which disappears on type. - For visually-hidden labels (search box, icon buttons), use
aria-labelor a.visually-hiddenclass, but make the label specific. - When two headings on a page genuinely cover the same topic (e.g. two “Comments” sections on a forum index), add disambiguating context:
"Comments on July 14","Comments on July 15". - Audit any heading or label that’s three words or fewer — that’s where vagueness clusters.
Common failures
- “Information,” “Details,” “More,” “Section,” “Form,” used as headings with no further context.
- Form labels like “Field 1,” “Input,” “Type here,” or no label at all (placeholder only).
- Card-grid headings that all read “Learn more” because they were converted from CTAs by a template change.
- Search results page where every result heading is the literal word “Result.”
- Tables where column headers are “Col 1,” “Col 2” instead of “Date,” “Amount,” “Status.”
Why it matters
In WebAIM’s screen-reader user surveys, navigating by headings is consistently the most common strategy for orienting on a new page — more common than reading top to bottom. Vague headings collapse that map. Vague labels collapse forms: a user lands on a control that just says “input” and has to backtrack to read surrounding text, which form mode often hides.