Roath Park conservation area

Church road conservation appraisal

Cardiff Road conservation area

St Catwgs conservation appraisal

St Fagans conservation appraisal

Church road conservation leaflet

Rhiwbina conservation appraisal

Mellingrfith conservation appraisal

St Catwgs conservation area

Cathedral road conservation leaflter

Ensures that headings in PDF documents follow a logical hierarchical order for accessibility.

## What this means

Headings in a PDF should be arranged in a logical sequence, much like a table of contents in a book. This means using a consistent hierarchy of heading levels (like Heading 1 for main titles, Heading 2 for subsections, etc.). Headings should not skip levels abruptly (e.g., jumping from Heading 1 directly to Heading 3).

## Why it matters

1. **Accessibility**: Screen readers rely on a logical heading structure to navigate content, making it essential for users with visual impairments.
2. **Readability and Navigation**: A well-structured document with logically ordered headings enhances readability and allows all users to navigate the content more efficiently.
3. **Consistency and Professionalism**: Logical heading order reflects a professional approach to document creation and helps maintain consistency across documents.

## How to fix

1. **Review Heading Levels**: Check your document to ensure that headings follow a sequential order without skipping levels.
2. **Modify Headings**: If any headings are out of order, adjust them using your PDF editing tool to align with the logical structure.

## Testing Methodology

Silktide's checks your PDF to identify the sequence of headings. It flags PDFs where the heading order is not 
hierarchical (e.g., a Heading 3 directly following a Heading 1).

Headings in a PDF should follow the sequence Heading 1 > Heading 2 > Heading 3 without skipping intermediate headings.
It is acceptable to 'go back' to previous styles/headings but the sequence should then continue without missing headings.

### Limitations
- **Contextual Analysis**: Silktide might not fully grasp the context behind the document's structure, so manual review is recommended for complex documents.
- **Styling Variations**: Variations in styling that are not properly tagged might not be detected accurately.

## Further Reading

- [Understanding WCAG: Headings and Labels](https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/headings-and-labels.html)
- [How to Organize PDF Content with Accessible Headings](https://www.adobe.com/accessibility/pdf/pdf-accessibility-overview.html)

pdf-headings-order

November 2025

October 2025

Cardiff Council

	Title / URL	Issues
	Roath Park conservation areawww.caerdydd.gov.uk/ENG/resident/Planning/Documents/Roath%20Park-A.pdf	1
	Church road conservation appraisalwww.caerdydd.gov.uk/ENG/resident/Planning/Documents/Church%20Road-A.pdf	1
	Cardiff Road conservation areawww.caerdydd.gov.uk/ENG/resident/Planning/Documents/Cardiff%20Road-A.pdf	1
	St Catwgs conservation appraisalwww.caerdydd.gov.uk/ENG/resident/Planning/Documents/St%20Catwgs-A.pdf	1
	St Fagans conservation appraisalwww.caerdydd.gov.uk/ENG/resident/Planning/Documents/St%20Fagans-A.pdf	1
	Church road conservation leafletwww.caerdydd.gov.uk/ENG/resident/Planning/Documents/Church%20Road-L.pdf	1
	Rhiwbina conservation appraisalwww.caerdydd.gov.uk/ENG/resident/Planning/Documents/Rhiwbina-A.pdf	1
	Mellingrfith conservation appraisalwww.caerdydd.gov.uk/ENG/resident/Planning/Documents/Melingriffith-A.pdf	1
	St Catwgs conservation areawww.caerdydd.gov.uk/ENG/resident/Planning/Documents/St%20Catwgs-L.pdf	1
	Cathedral road conservation leaflterwww.caerdydd.gov.uk/ENG/resident/Planning/Documents/Cathedral%20Road-L.pdf	1

Ensure PDF headings follow a logical order

Cardiff Council

Where this issue has occurred