Creating Inclusive Experiences: 7 Best Practices for Accessible HTML Email
Email reigns as one of the top communication channels for most businesses. In our State of CX survey, 95% of respondents highlight email as one of their most used and successful channels when reaching customers.
To ensure your emails are engaging it’s important to create a smooth content experience. Accessibility needs to be a priority in your emails to ensure your marketing is inclusive for all. Below, we’ve outlined key best practices to ensure your HTML email campaigns remain inclusive, relevant, and accessible for every reader.
1. Choose Readable Fonts and Colours
High Contrast
Colour contrast is one of the most impactful elements of accessible email design. Adhering to WCAG 2.0 guidelines on contrast ensures that text stands out clearly from its background.
- Use contrast checkers: Tools like WebAIM or Contrast Ratio or Siege Media Contrast Checker help verify your chosen colour pairs meet recommended.
- Avoid very low contrast: Extremely light text on light backgrounds (or dark on dark) makes it difficult for visually impaired users to read your content.
Font Size and Legibility
- Ensure the font size is large enough to be easily read. Generally, a minimum of 14px for body text is advised, though 16px is more comfortable for many readers.
2. Use Descriptive ALT Text for Images
Images can be a great way to grab attention, but make sure your message is still understandable without them.
- Add meaningful ALT text: Provide a concise but clear description of the image’s purpose, especially if it conveys critical information. There can be limits on the quantity of text held in an ALT tag - we recommend staying short, but relevant.
- Leave decorative images blank: For purely decorative elements like spacers or design flourishes, use an empty alt="" tag so screen readers skip over them.
3. Keep Important Information Out of Images
Embedding crucial text within images can create accessibility barriers.
- Avoid Embedding Essential Text in Images: Screen readers cannot interpret text saved as part of an image.
4. Maintain Simple, Responsive Layouts
Complex or heavily nested tables may look visually appealing, but they can create hurdles for screen readers and responsive rendering.
- Use clean, minimal tables: When structuring your email with tables, add role="presentation" for purely structural tables.
- Responsive design: Optimise your layout to adapt across different screen sizes. Many subscribers open emails on mobile devices - ensuring a seamless, readable experience there is vital.
5. Leverage Clear and Expressive Calls-to-Action
Your call-to-action (CTA) should be immediately understandable.
- Be specific: Use action-oriented phrases such as “Download Now” or “Shop Now.”
- Use HTML buttons: When possible, create buttons using HTML with text content rather than relying solely on images. This makes the CTA accessible to screen readers and easier to scale for mobile displays.
6. Incorporate Language Tags
For global audiences, specifying the language within your email’s HTML structure helps screen readers determine pronunciation and reading rules:
<html lang="en" xml:lang="en">
Using the correct attributes ensures subscribers with visual impairments – particularly those relying on screen readers – hear the content in the appropriate language.
7. Test Across Email Clients and Devices
Every email client (e.g. Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, or smartphone apps) can render HTML differently. Thorough testing is the best way to maintain accessibility.
- Preview on multiple clients and devices: Check for design breakage, font resizing, and reading order anomalies.
- Use screen reader simulations: Tools like VoiceOver (Mac) or NVDA (Windows) can help identify issues early.
Accessibility Audit
At Mapp, we believe in creating digital marketing solutions that prioritise inclusivity. If you have any questions on how to integrate accessibility into your next email campaign, our team is here to help. However, it’s important to note all the HTML code best practices mentioned above are already standard in new builds.
In addition to already following best practices, we offer an Accessibility Auditing Service that includes a comprehensive review by our experts. This service goes beyond automated tools by also incorporating a human eye to assess and refine your email’s accessibility, ensuring it resonates with all subscribers.
Let’s work together to build experiences that are not only inclusive but also impactful – no matter how your audience chooses to interact with your content.
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