Email Marketing Accessibility
How to ensure your emails can be enjoyed by everyone
1 in 6 people have a disability
80% aren't immediately visible
99.9% of emails tested contained "critical" or "serious" accessibility issues
Are you taking this into account?
An important note:
In complete transparency, I have been hesitant in writing this content.
I'm worried I will get it wrong or provide incomplete information. And I don't know what I don't know.
I also DO KNOW that a lot of my content (both website and emails) does not completely meet the recommendations I will give around email marketing accessibility.
Every time I research digital accessibility, the more I realise I miss the mark on it. So it delays me sharing it further.
But that does not mean it isn't important to share so I'm doing it anyway. And chipping away at improving my own accessibility standards.
Why? Because when my son was diagnosed with a vision impairment, it was terrifying. I was scared of all he would miss out on. And what I have learnt about the adaptations we have made for him already shows he doesn't actually need to miss out on anything.
As late diagnosed ADHD, I also know first hand what it is like to feel like you "should" be able to do something a certain way because that's just how things are done.
But that's not the world we need to live in anymore.
On this page you'll find some key things you want to consider when making your emails more accessible for all users. I'll also share links to great resources and information from the true experts in this field.
(I'm also trying my best to use the correct language in discussing this topic, if I miss the mark on something please let me know)
Considerations for Common Disabilities
Vision or Hearing
For partially impaired vision, they need high contrast, large fonts and easy to read content.
Blind users will use screen readers for content and the keyboard to interact with your emails.
While hearing impaired users can usually read text we still need to consider the content we link to that includes audio.
Motor Impairments
This could be from the basic additional need of having larger buttons to press or bigger spacing between links.
Or it can extend to using screen readers, alternative keyboards, eye control and other adaptive software.
Cognitive
Neurodivergence comes in many forms. ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and many other learning challenges.
We can benefit from clear content, precise instructions, great structure and visual supports.
(Also, closed captions and video speed control pretty please!)
Not to mention...
Accessible content is just great strategy anyway
For example:
Direct calls to action result in greater conversions regardless
More and more users want to use text to voice anyway
AI tools are summarising content so we need to make it easier for it to do so
Your Email Accessibility Checklist
Coding
To support screen readers makes sure you have:
- dir attribute for text direction
- lang attribute for language
- title element if opened as a web page
- make sure you have at least one <h1> tag so users know the point of the email
- use other header tags to help reflect the structure (yes, you can use the header tags but change the design to still appear like paragraph text)
And a Plain Text version.
Design
- High colour contrast between background and text
- Responsive design for mobile, tablets and those with high zoom
- Support dark mode by not hard coding background colours and using transparent background png images
- Use the dedicated content blocks from your builder so the function code is built in
- Consider keyboard (tabbing) navigation
Structure
- A clear hierarchy that is visually organised
- Keep paragraphs short (2-4 sentences max)
- Keep plenty of white space
- Use bullet points
- Use icons or symbols to help visualise content
- Only use tables for data. If you need columns use the structure elements of your email designer.
Text
- Ensure fonts are large enough
- Sans serif fonts are preferred
- Avoid all caps (some screen readers may read them letter by letter)
- Left aligned text
- Use a spacing of at least 1.5x
Calls to Action
- Ensure there is a visual contrast
- Underline in text links
- Use descriptive link text (e.g. hyperlink the full "click here to _____" instead of just "here")
- Ensure any links or buttons are big enough touch targets
- Keep plenty of spacing between rows of links
Clear & Simple Language
- Avoid confusing jargon
- Keep messaging concise and to the point
- Don't use filler words like just, actually, literally
- Use explicit language (e.g. "Browse Our Latest Collection" instead of "Shop Now")
Images
- Never replace key email text with images
- Images should only be used to enhance messaging
- Add alt text for all images. Descriptions can be brief if it's just a supporting icon.
Personalisation & Control
- Use segmenting and conditions
- Add conditional content blocks to only display relevant content
- Allow users to choose their email preferences
Sign Up Forms
- Ensure all forms have labels and not just placeholder text (Placeholder text is not usually supported by screen readers)
- Make all input fields large enough for easy touch control
- Use explicit language on all buttons