Heading level is skipped

Why does it matter?

Headings form the outline screen reader users navigate by. Jumping from H2 straight to H4 suggests a missing section and makes the structure harder to follow.

Who it affects: Screen reader users, who jump from heading to heading to understand and skim a page, and people with cognitive disabilities who rely on clear structure.

What does Lumtera flag?

A heading more than one level deeper than the one before it. The post title is treated as the page's H1, as nearly every theme shows it.

Check ID heading-skipped-level — use it to filter the content report or with wp lumtera issues --rule.

How do I fix it in WordPress?

Choose heading levels by structure, not by size: sections of the post are H2, sub-sections inside them H3, and so on. To change how a heading looks, change its font size in the block settings instead of its level.

In the block editor, this issue has a Fix button: one click repairs the block, and Undo puts it back.

Example

<h2>Our services</h2>
<h4>Web design</h4>

<h2>Our services</h2>
<h3>Web design</h3>

How do I check the fix?

1. Update the post. The issue disappears from the Lumtera Accessibility sidebar on the next check, and from the site report on the next scan.
2. Use a headings outline — the block editor's Document Overview (List View → Outline), or a browser extension such as HeadingsMap — and check the levels read like a table of contents.