This translation has not been editorially reviewed yet. The German version is authoritative. Deutsche Fassung
Accessibility
How should headings and labels be worded?
Headings and labels must name their topic and purpose: a heading says what the following section is about, a field label says what input is expected. Anyone jumping from heading to heading with a screen reader decides purely from these words whether reading on is worthwhile. WCAG criterion 2.4.6 therefore requires meaningful wording — "Prices and services" instead of "Section 2".
Headings are the page's table of contents
Screen readers offer a jump list of all headings — for blind users, it's what a quick glance over the page is for sighted ones. That list only works if every heading speaks for itself: "Directions and parking" works, "More information" doesn't. The same applies to forms: the label "Phone number (for follow-up questions)" says what belongs there and why; an unlabelled field with grey placeholder text loses its explanation with the first keystroke. Meaningful headings also help every reader in a hurry — and search engines, which treat headings as a structural signal for your content.
How the audit service checks headings and labels
The technical side is well suited to machine checking and feeds into the report via related criteria: whether headings are present, whether the levels follow each other cleanly, and whether every form field has a label at all. The actual question behind this criterion — does the wording say what follows — is a content judgment, though: whether "Service" accurately describes the following section is something only someone who reads it can know. The audit report states this openly: every WCAG criterion appears individually as passed, violated, needs manual review, or not automatable. With us, a seal is only ever built from claims the measurement genuinely supports.
Examples
Heading without statement
<h2>Mehr</h2>
<label>Eingabe <input></label><h2>Kosten und Fristen</h2>
<label>Geburtsdatum (TT.MM.JJJJ) <input></label>Heading and caption say what follows or what belongs in the field.
- Read only the headings on your most important page from top to bottom — does that add up to the page's table of contents?
- Replace filler headings like "More information" or "Miscellaneous" with the section's actual topic.
- Label every form field with a visible, permanent label — grey placeholder text in the field disappears while typing.
- For fields with special requirements, add the purpose directly in the label, such as "Phone number (for follow-up questions)".
