Making content consumable for all users, regardless of ability, strangely is still a new concept online and in emails. The good news is that some companies are making it their mission to make the web accessible in the coming years. The bad news is that this means accessibility is, for many organizations, still too complicated and too poorly mastered, shares, Julie Paci, marketing manager, Pathwire.
As a ubiquitous form of communication, businesses frequently send email messages to promote marketing offerings and offer support to customers and partners. However, a marketing email without accessibility options is essentially a ‘missed connection’ for scores of people in the target audience.
According to WHOOpens a new window , about 1 in 10 people may have visual impairments, or 1 in 5 could struggle with a lifelong learning difference such as dyslexiaOpens a new window . Among the many challenges this creates in daily life, it makes marketing emails an enormous challenge to read. As a result, there are likely to be people on every email marketing list that may be missing out on essential communication, excellent offers, or important opportunities simply because emails are not being designed with everyone’s need in mind.
To address these issues and expand the reach, impact, and success of email marketing campaigns, enterprises must prioritize accessibility. Further, as laws continue to evolve, accessibility will be more supported by rules that aim to bring the benefits of email communication to every part of society.
From the development perspective, it can be challenging to keep in mind even more formatting considerations and options when the marketing team is already doing so much testing and creating email campaigns. But as awareness of the need for accessibility increases and organizations focus on best practices, the argument in favor of improving the all-around usability of emails has become overwhelming.
Indeed, senders should view accessibility as a valuable use of their time. In comparison, it is not uncommon, for instance, for developers to devote significant resources to optimize their campaigns, so they display correctly in Outlook, which accounts for less than 10% of the email market. By that measurement, any organization that does not currently prioritize email accessibility should consider balancing its development efforts to reflect the true demographics of its recipients and to maximize the opportunity for campaign success.
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In practical terms, simplifying the process is imperative. But by following best practices for design, content, and coding, it becomes much easier to create emails that will reach every member of an audience while also delivering valuable information and a great user experience.
The Three Pillars of Accessibility: Content, Design, and Coding
- Content — For people who use text readers for email, accessible content depends on delivering descriptive information, from subject lines to links. Inviting recipients to click on ‘open me’ or ‘click here’ links, for instance, does not help accessibility but including descriptions as links does. And in general, every paragraph should cover each particular subject in brief, remaining focused for people who cannot skim read and need to go through the whole text.
- Design — In developing accessible email design, always follow a logical structure and reading direction, avoiding centered and justified paragraphs, and use fonts above size 14 with generous line spacing to make the reading experience as helpful as possible. Strong design contrast is also crucial as it helps make reading easier, particularly in poor lighting conditions. Buttons and links should be easy to access, colored with sufficient levels of contrast, and easy to click or tap.
- Coding — Among the main priorities for email coding should be to ensure that paragraphs are presented in organized sections and introduced by descriptive titles, making full use of the <p> and <h*> in particular. And by defining email language with the HTML lang attribute, text readers will correctly process content from the outset. Above all, try to offer the email content as a text version, a preference among many users who experience accessibility challenges. Many messaging platforms offer this facility as standard.
Tools for the Job
One of the reasons why email campaigns do not always deliver strong accessibility is that teams sometimes focus on optimizing their ‘headline’ KPIs. To guard against this and ensure accessibility can be built into every email, accessible-email.orgOpens a new window is an excellent tool for promoting usability. When developing emails, users can submit HTML files which the tool then analyzes for accessibility errors, helping marketers build best practices into their standard approach.
For more advanced approaches to accessibility, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) ChecklistsOpens a new window are organized into Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced levels to help developers gradually improve their capabilities, and by definition, the accessibility of their emails.
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Email best practices cannot be achieved without focusing on accessibility throughout the key stages of the development process. In doing so, marketing teams help everyone enjoy the benefits of today’s digital society, and brands can ensure their messages, offers, and incentives reach the widest possible relevant audience. That is a win-win for everyone involved.