Creating Accessible Emails: Best Practices

Making your emails accessible means delivering content that everyone—regardless of ability—can consume and interact with. Beyond compliance, accessible email increases reach, usability, and engagement.

Why Accessibility Matters

• Inclusivity & equity: Over 1.3 billion people globally live with visual impairments—accessibility is essential.

• Better usability for all: Short paragraphs, clear headings, and intuitive navigation help every reader.

• Compliance & risk reduction: Many laws and policies (e.g., EAA in Europe, ADA in the U.S.) reference WCAG 2.1 Level AA as a practical benchmark for accessible content.

Email Accessibility Best Practices

1) Semantic Structure & Reading Order

• Use proper headings (<h1>, <h2>, <h3>) in logical sequence; don’t skip levels.

• Prefer left-aligned paragraphs for readability (especially for dyslexia/low vision).

• If you must use tables for layout, add role="presentation" so screen readers don’t treat them as data tables.

2) Images & Alt Text

• Provide descriptive alt text for meaningful images.

  • Linked images: describe the destination or action (e.g., alt="Explore spring collection").

  • Decorative images: use empty alt text (alt="").

  • Background images: no alt text needed; screen readers ignore them.

HTML example

<a href="https://your.store/spring">
  <img src="spring-collection.jpg" alt="Explore our new spring collection" />
</a>

In the Drag-and-Drop Email Editor, use the image block’s ALT text field to add descriptions.

3) Fallbacks for Media

• Provide captions for videos.

• Add short text summaries for GIFs/animations.

4) Color, Typography & Visual Clarity

• Meet minimum contrast: 4.5:1 for normal text; 3:1 for large text (≥18 px regular or 14 px bold).

• Don’t rely on color alone; pair it with text, icons, or patterns.

• Use 14 px minimum font size (16 px recommended for light fonts and mobile).

• Provide generous line spacing and sensible letter spacing.

5) Link & Button Accessibility

• Use visible link cues (underline/bold) and meaningful link text.

• Ensure CTAs/links are at least 44×44 px and keyboard-navigable.

• Prefer “bulletproof” CSS buttons over image buttons so links work when images are off.

6) Additional Technical Practices

• Add lang="en" (or appropriate locale) to your HTML to guide pronunciation.

• Ensure a logical source order, especially with multi-column layouts.

• Preserve keyboard navigation wherever applicable.

7) Testing & Validation Workflow

• Use automated checks (e.g., WAVE, axe DevTools) to review contrast, alt text, heading order, and roles.

• Run human testing with assistive tech (screen readers, keyboard-only).

• In Zencity, use Email Preview to spot layout issues across devices and clients before sending.

8) Plain-Text Version

• Always include a clean, readable plain-text version for text-only readers and low-bandwidth contexts.

How Zencity Helps You Build Accessible Emails

1. Drag-and-Drop Editor with Accessible Defaults
   Logical content order, mobile-responsive sections, and sensible defaults reduce common accessibility pitfalls.

2. Built-In Alt Text & Semantic Controls
   Add ALT text directly in image blocks; structure content with headings, paragraphs, and lists for screen readers.

3. Preview & Testing
   Email Preview shows how designs render across devices and popular clients so you can adjust before sending.

4. Pre-tested Templates
   Zencity’s templates follow accessibility best practices (readable font sizes, contrast, clear hierarchy) to speed compliant design.

5. Automatic Plain-Text Companion
   Generate and edit a plain-text version alongside HTML to maximize compatibility.

Quick Checklist

• Semantic markup: correct heading levels; layout tables set to role="presentation".

• Reading order: visual layout matches source order.

• Images: descriptive ALT for meaningful, empty ALT for decorative.

• Media fallbacks: captions for video; summaries for GIFs.

• Contrast & type: sufficient contrast; ≥14 px body size (16 px recommended).

• Links & buttons: visible cues; meaningful text; ≥44×44 px target; keyboard-friendly.

• Buttons: CSS-based, not image-only.

• Language attribute: set lang="..." in HTML.

• Testing: run WAVE/axe; use Zencity Email Preview; include human checks.

• Plain text: include and proofread the text-only version.

Final Thought

Accessibility is rooted in thoughtful design and empathy. Consistent use of semantic structure, clear typography, descriptive alt text, adequate contrast, and regular testing will make your emails more inclusive—and more effective.