Liana Tamse
Printed on: 24 July 2025

Most entrepreneurs are now not unfamiliar with the WCAG (Net Content material Accessibility Tips). Numerous ideas, instruments, and guidelines can be found on-line, however all that info can get overwhelming quick. Sound acquainted? That’s precisely why we took the time to collect every little thing in a single place.

On this weblog, you’ll be taught what electronic mail accessibility means, why it issues, and easy methods to begin making your emails extra accessible at present.

What’s electronic mail accessibility?

Electronic mail accessibility implies that everybody can learn, navigate, and work together together with your electronic mail no matter any limitations or assistive applied sciences they might use. And that issues, as a result of in Europe, round 1 in 4 folks reside with a incapacity.

This could possibly be visible (like color blindness or low imaginative and prescient), motor or cognitive. If 25% of your viewers would possibly battle to learn your electronic mail, accessibility is now not elective; it’s important. This consists of the textual content, your color use, fonts, pictures, and general structure.

Why is it essential?

In case your emails aren’t accessible, you possibly can miss out on a big a part of your viewers. Consider colour-blind readers who can’t distinguish sure hues, or folks with epilepsy who’re delicate to flashing pictures.

Making your emails accessible ensures your message reaches everybody, with out leaving anybody out. It reveals what your model stands for: empathy, inclusivity, and buyer focus. Even when accessibility is one thing you’re exploring as a consequence of laws, at its core, it’s merely the correct factor to do.

Our old emails (scoring low in accessibility)
Our outdated emails (scoring low in accessibility)
Our new emails (scoring increased in accessibility)

What are the very best practices?

Accessibility touches many components of your design. Right here’s a fast listing of greatest practices:

  • Think about visible elements of accessibility in your design
  • Use color neatly
  • Steadiness textual content and pictures
  • Use bigger font sizes
  • Give your copy house
  • Keep away from justified (totally aligned) copy
  • Select a readable typeface
  • Use semantic parts
  • Enhance general readability
  • Make hyperlinks clearly clickable
  • Keep away from imprecise hyperlink textual content like “click on right here”
  • Use ALT attributes appropriately

Color distinction in electronic mail

Good readability begins with a powerful color distinction. Textual content should be distinguishable from the background, particularly for customers with visible impairments.

WCAG pointers state that distinction needs to be a minimum of 4.5:1 for normal textual content and 3:1 for giant textual content (18px or extra). This ensures your message is seen to everybody. Undecided in case your design meets the requirements? Try our contrast checker tool.

A sensible instance: The three pictures under are examined with our model colors. The left (white on gentle blue) is kind of troublesome to distinguish: 2.52:1. Within the picture on the correct, the distinction between textual content and background is increased, and the textual content is simpler to learn: 5.8:1. That makes a world of distinction. After all, having a darker background creates higher distinction, just like the picture on the correct: 14.6:1.

Contrast ratio check for white text on light blue background, not accessible.
2.52:1 (does not go)
Contrast ratio check for dark text on light blue background, fairly accessible.
5.8:1 (AA)
Contrast ratio check for white text on dark blue background, very accessible.
14.6:1 (AAA)

Textual content and readability

Color alone isn’t sufficient. Clear, well-structured textual content is essential for readers and display readers.

Be sure your copy is simple to know. Spotlight key factors with clear headings, quick paragraphs, and bullet factors.

Tip: Keep away from lengthy blocks of textual content. Use headings like “What it’s good to know” or “The way it helps you” to make it simpler for everybody to comply with.

Font measurement and kind
WCAG recommends a minimal of 16px for normal physique textual content. Use a clear, sans-serif font with out ornamental parts. Keep away from italics or overly styled fonts for lengthy texts — they are often exhausting to learn, particularly for customers with visible impairments or dyslexia.

Photographs and ALT textual content

Photographs could make your electronic mail extra visually interesting, however they want context for customers who depend on display readers. That’s the place ALT textual content is available in: a brief description explaining the content material or objective of a picture.

There are 4 kinds of pictures:

  • Textual content-based: Talk a message or CTA
  • Useful: Clickable parts like buttons or icons
  • Informative: Add info not coated within the textual content
  • Ornamental: Purely visible, with no added that means

Tip: Keep away from embedding essential textual content inside pictures; it’s not accessible.

For practical and informative pictures, ALT textual content is a should. For ornamental pictures, use alt=”” within the HTML code.

Instance: In case you present a product photograph and the picture can’t be loaded, a transparent ALT textual content ensures the reader nonetheless understands what’s being proven:

WCAG compliant email image ALT text.
This product evaluation electronic mail, despatched by Coolblue, tells you what picture is anticipated to load.

Hyperlinks and buttons

Hyperlinks in your electronic mail needs to be clear, clickable, and straightforward to know. Which means:

  • Use descriptive hyperlink textual content
    Keep away from imprecise phrases like “click on right here.” Say what the hyperlink results in: “Obtain the whitepaper” or “Join the webinar.“
  • Make hyperlinks visually distinct
    Underline them and use a unique color; color alone isn’t sufficient, particularly for colour-blind customers.
  • Guarantee good distinction
    The hyperlink textual content should distinction strongly with each the background and surrounding textual content. Purpose for a distinction ratio of a minimum of 4.5:1.
  • Make clickable areas sufficiently big
    Hyperlinks and buttons needs to be straightforward to faucet, even on cell. Give them sufficient padding and white house.

The following tips assist make your electronic mail extra user-friendly and extra inclusive. Win-win.

Take a look at for accessibility

When you’ve optimised your electronic mail, take a look at it! Use WAVE, Axe, or Spotler’s testing tools to examine accessibility. And don’t overlook to check with a display reader to make sure every little thing reads logically and easily.

In abstract

Accessibility isn’t nearly design; it’s about inclusion. Following WCAG pointers makes your electronic mail campaigns accessible to a broader viewers.

Each element issues, from color distinction and font measurement to ALT textual content and hyperlink readability. You’re not simply enhancing your UX; you’re displaying you care.

So what are you ready for? Begin making your emails extra accessible at present and guarantee your message really reaches everybody.

Good luck hitting ship!


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