Email Accessibility Guide 2025

Ensuring email accessibility in 2025 is crucial for reaching all your subscribers effectively. One significant step to achieve this is incorporating semantic elements, which allow users with screen readers to navigate emails efficiently by headers. By utilizing tags, you create a structured layout that is widely supported across email clients, forming a great base for accessible emails.

Styling tags historically posed challenges, especially with managing margins. However, by applying specific code, you can control the whitespace effectively:

When implementing semantic elements, remember to use margins instead of padding, as the latter may not be supported everywhere. For further guidance on using rems, check out Josh W. Comeau’s insights on accessibility. Additionally, using mso-line-height-rule:exactly; in your tags can help maintain line-height consistency in Microsoft Outlook.

Enhance Email Readability for Accessibility

To foster a more inclusive environment, prioritize writing accessible email copy. This involves making your content more relatable and human, which strengthens engagement with your audience. You can read more about writing accessible email content here.

One useful tool to evaluate readability is the Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease Test. Available in Microsoft Word, it scores content on readability from 0 to 100, guiding you to keep your score between 60 and 70 for general audiences. For more advanced audiences, higher complexity can be appropriate.

• A score of 90-100—easily understood by younger students.
• A score of 60-70—suitable for teens ages 13 to 15.
• A score of 30-50—ideal for college students.
• A score of 0-30—understood by graduates.

Focus on shorter sentences, direct language, and active voice to simplify readability. Moreover, avoid complex vocabulary, jargon, or slang that might alienate some readers.

Optimize Links for Touchscreen Devices

To enhance email accessibility, ensure your bulletproof buttons are large enough for easy interaction on mobile devices. A generous button size aids individuals who may struggle with precise mouse control, providing a more comfortable user experience.

Improve Link Context for Accessibility

Avoid using the phrase “click here” for link text. Providing meaningful link descriptions benefits all users, particularly those who use screen readers. Clear link context helps users rapidly understand and navigate your content.

For example, instead of “click here” for a shoe product page, try “Explore our shoe collection,” which clarifies intent without needing additional context.

Utilize ALT Attributes Effectively

ALT attributes display text when images don’t load—and are pivotal for email accessibility, especially for those relying on screen readers. Understand the purpose of your images to determine suitable ALT text, whether functional, illustrative, or decorative.

For illustrations that don’t need verbal description, use a null ALT attribute. This approach ensures that your emails remain accessible and informative to all audiences, regardless of technology and abilities.

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