Page headings

Headings

Headings and subheadings provide a way for users to preview content. For instance, a visitor using a screen reader might scan all the headings on a page. Our eyes are also drawn to formatting that stands out on a page, so headings can be an important visual cue where to find content (especially as people are scrolling on a mobile device.)

A good guideline is to ask “does this heading make sense out of context?” Create headings to provide an outline of your content and answer your users’ top questions.

Examples: “Steps to hiring a co-op student” and “PhD funding opportunities.”

Formatting headings

Within the WCMS and other digital templating tools, styles such as “heading 1”, “heading 2”, or “captions” are meant to be used as indicated. Likewise, colour combinations should be used as indicated to ensure accessible contrast.

• A “heading 1” style should only be used once per page and summarize the content of the page. (In the WCMS, the H1 is also your page title.)  

• Other “heading” styles should be used in number order to clearly organize content. For example:
  • Heading 1 (only one per page)
    • Heading 2
    • Heading 2 (heading numbers should repeat if introducing a new section)
      • Heading 3 (subsection under the previous heading 2)
        • Heading 4 (subsection under the previous heading 3)
    • Heading 2 (new section)

• Headlines need to quickly capture your audience’s attention. Keep headings short and direct.
• H1/Page titles should also be concise and be sure to use your keywords upfront as search engines only display a certain number of characters in search results.
• Capitalize only the first word when using sentence case (unless there are also proper nouns later in the sentence).

• Punctuation is not necessary in headlines or subheadings. Exceptions are made for when headlines are questions and sub headlines have more than one sentence.
• Avoid overuse of abbreviations or acronyms. Commonly known acronyms may be used in headlines (e.g., IQC, NASA, SLC). When using abbreviations, spell out the full name at the first mention, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. After that, you can just use the abbreviation.

Using additional styles

• A “caption” style should only be used to caption an image or other media.
• A “highlight” style can be used for visual impact rather than a heading style to make text stand out. Use italics and bold sparingly – they can be difficult to read.
• The blockquote style can be used for quotations and testimonials.
• Use underlining only for hyperlinks – users will expect to be able to click on the text.