Page headings are missing an H1 or skip levels

Why it matters

Screen reader users often start a page by jumping to its H1 to learn what it is about, then move through the other headings like a table of contents. The headings that matter most here come from the theme, not the post: the site name, the post title, widget titles in the sidebar and footer. A theme that shows the site name as a second H1, or footer widgets that jump to H4, muddles that outline on every page.

Who it affects: Keyboard, screen reader and low-vision users — every visitor meets the page title, language, landmarks, keyboard focus, target sizes and zoom settings on every page.

What Lumtera flags

Checked in review mode's Whole page tab, across all visible headings on the rendered page (H1–H6 and role="heading"): a page with no H1 heading — or with no headings at all — and a page with more than one H1. It also reports headings that skip a level compared with the heading before them, such as an H4 right after an H2, anywhere on the page (up to five per page). Each is a warning.

How to fix it in WordPress

Most themes show the post title as the H1. If yours hides the title or uses a different level, add one H1 that names the page, and keep it the only one: the site name in the header, or H1 blocks in the content, usually belong at a lower level. Use heading levels in order. Headings in the header, sidebar or footer come from the theme or widgets; choose the level there (in block themes, in the Site Editor), or style a lower level to look the same.

Example

<header><h1 class="site-title">Rosa's Café</h1></header>
<main><h1>Spring menu</h1> … </main>
<footer><h4>Opening hours</h4></footer>

<header><p class="site-title">Rosa's Café</p></header>
<main><h1>Spring menu</h1> … </main>
<footer><h2>Opening hours</h2></footer>

How to check your fix

1. Reload the page in review mode and run the Whole page tab again. The finding disappears once the rendered page passes.
2. Load the page and press Tab: a "Skip to content" link should appear first, and you should always see where focus is, even under a sticky header. Pinch-zoom on a phone, and check the browser tab shows a meaningful title.