Using Text

There are some built-in ways to organize text using HTML. Text can be organized according to paragraphs, headings, bulleted lists, numbered lists, definition lists, block quotes, and tables. Use all of these elements correctly. Do not use the "blockquote" element just to indent text that is not a quotation, for example. Tables are meant to be used for tabular data, and purists will insist that tables not be used for layout purposes.

Heading tags are extremely helpful for document organization. Use them in the correct hierarchical order. You should be able to extract just the headings and create a sort of outline of the document. In fact, some screen readers allow the user to do just this. Reading just the headings can be a quick way to scan a document, whether the user does so visually or by means of a screen reader.

Lists are effective ways to organize information. Users often scan documents, looking for lists of items because they know that the lists are likely to contain important information.