Using the right element.
WHAT SEMANTIC MEANS
The element describes what the content is, not how it looks.
WHY IT MATTERS
Assistive technology navigates by it Search engines interpret by it Other software can extract meaning The markup is understandable to people reading it
WHAT SEMANTIC ELEMENTS EXIST
Headings, in levels Paragraphs and lists Navigation, main content, headers, footers and sections Articles, for self-contained content Figures with captions Tables, for tabular data Emphasis, of two kinds
WHAT THE TWO KINDS OF EMPHASIS ARE
One indicating stress in reading, one indicating importance.
WHY NOT SIMPLY MAKE TEXT BOLD
Visual weight conveys nothing to a screen reader.
WHAT TO AVOID
Generic containers where a meaningful element exists Headings chosen for size rather than level Tables used for layout Line breaks used for spacing
WHAT TO DO INSTEAD OF CHOOSING A HEADING BY SIZE
Choose the correct level, and style it.
WHAT TO CHECK
Whether the document makes sense with styling removed.
