- Success Criterion 1.3.1
- Conformance level A
Empty Heading Tags Cluttering the Page’s Structure
1.3.1 — Info and Relationships
Scenario
Setting
A university's online course catalog
What’s wrong
Empty heading elements (h1–h6 with no content) creating phantom entries in the heading structure.
Example
<div class="heading">Shipping Address</div>Why it matters
Screen-reader, braille, and reading-tool users who depend on coded structure rather than visual layout.
How to test
Use a screen reader's headings list: empty h1-h6 tags with no text create blank entries that waste navigation time — check for and flag any.
How to fix
Remove empty heading tags, or fill them with the section's actual heading text.
<h2>Shipping Address</h2>A real heading element exposes the section structure to assistive tech; a styled div doesn't.
Outcome
On a university's online course catalog, this barrier is gone for screen-reader, braille — they can complete the task without hitting this wall.
Who is affected
Screen-reader, braille, and reading-tool users who depend on coded structure rather than visual layout.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Text Styled to Look Like a Heading Instead of Coded as One
- Text Columns Faked With Spaces Instead of Real Table Markup
- Table Layout Faked With Spaces Instead of Real Table Code
- Clickable Div Acting as a Link Button With No Real Role
- Structural HTML Tags Used Purely for Visual Styling
- Layout-Only Table Wrongly Coded With Real Header Cells