Many writers use headings as a formatting tool: making text bigger, bolding it, and feeling that's "heading enough." The problem is that a screen reader doesn't see font size or boldness โ€” it only recognizes a heading if it's actually tagged as one, at the correct level. When levels are skipped (H1 straight to H3, for example), the hierarchical structure a screen reader presents to the user breaks down, even if everything looks tidy visually.

In short โ€” what this guide covers

  1. Why heading levels aren't just about looks
  2. The common mistake: skipping levels
  3. How to work correctly with styles in Word
  4. How to check before exporting to PDF

Why heading levels aren't just about looks

Headings (H1, H2, H3 and so on) create a navigation map of the document. Many screen reader users use the list of headings to skim a long document quickly โ€” much like a sighted reader glancing at a table of contents. If the headings are tagged correctly, they can jump straight from "Introduction" to "Summary" without going through everything in between. If they aren't tagged, or are tagged as plain paragraphs with bold styling, that option disappears entirely.

The common mistake: skipping levels

The rule: H1 is the document's single main title, H2 headings are the main subsections, H3 headings are sub-sections within a section, and so on โ€” without skipping levels forward. You can go back (from H3 straight to H1 when starting a new section), but you should never jump from H1 straight to H3 without passing through H2. A skip like this leaves a "hole" in the hierarchical structure that causes confusion โ€” the screen reader announces "heading level 3" without there having been a level-2 heading to explain which section it belongs to.

Illustrative diagram Continuous vs. skipped heading hierarchy Comparison between a skipped heading level and a continuous hierarchy Don't skip heading levels โŒ Skipped H1 main heading H3 subheading โœ• H2 missing โ€” hierarchy unclear โœ… Continuous H1 main heading H2 subheading H3 inner heading Each level drops by exactly one step You can go back (from H3 to H1 in a new section) but never skip forward (from H1 to H3)
When you skip from H1 straight to H3 (left), the hierarchical structure is missing โ€” it's unclear which "chapter" the H3 belongs to. A continuous hierarchy (right) maintains a clear relationship between levels.

How to work correctly with styles in Word

The correct way to create headings in Word is with built-in styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3 on the "Home" tab) โ€” not manual text bolding and font enlargement. A built-in style automatically exports to the matching PDF tag (H1, H2...), and also lets you use Word's Navigation Pane (View โ–ธ Navigation Pane) to see the entire document's heading structure at a glance and spot skips before exporting.

  1. Open the Navigation Pane (View โ–ธ Navigation Pane) and select the "Headings" tab.
  2. Go through the list and make sure the levels rise and fall gradually, with no jumps.
  3. If a heading appears at the wrong level (for example, bolded manually instead of using a real style), fix the style applied to it.
  4. Only once the structure is clean, export to PDF.

๐Ÿ’ก Practical tip

If you're using a heading just to "make text bigger" without it actually opening a new section, it's better to use regular text emphasis (bold/larger size) rather than a heading style โ€” this avoids "fake" headings that confuse the navigation structure.

How to check before exporting to PDF

After exporting, it's worth opening the Tags tree in Acrobat and confirming the hierarchy was preserved as planned โ€” sometimes an improper export (for example, "Save As PDF" instead of a proper "Export") loses part of the hierarchical structure even if it was fine in Word. The built-in accessibility check (Tools โ–ธ Accessibility โ–ธ Full Check) also flags skipped levels automatically.

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