When we talk about accessibility, most people think of wheelchair ramps or screen readers on websites. But email? That’s one place it often gets overlooked. The truth is, email accessibility is just as important. For millions of people with visual, cognitive, or motor disabilities, a poorly designed email can be frustrating or completely unusable.

Here’s the thing: making your emails more accessible doesn’t just benefit people with disabilities. It also improves readability, boosts engagement, and strengthens your brand. Simple changes like adding alt text, using readable fonts, and choosing high-contrast color schemes aren’t just nice to have, they’re essential for clear, inclusive communication.

In this article, we’ll break down the basics of accessible email design so you can create emails that everyone can read and interact with.

Understanding Email Accessibility

What is Email Accessibility?

Email accessibility refers to designing and developing email content that can be accessed, read, and understood by all users, regardless of their abilities or disabilities. This includes individuals with visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive impairments who may use assistive technologies like screen readers, voice recognition software, or special keyboards.

Importance of Accessible Emails

Accessible email design isn’t just a nice-to-have feature, it’s a necessity:

1. Reach a Wider Audience

When emails aren’t accessible, they effectively exclude significant portions of the population such as:

  • People with disabilities: Approximately 15% of the world’s population (over 1 billion people) lives with some form of disability according to the World Health Organization.
  • Aging population: As people age, they often experience declining vision, hearing, motor control, and cognitive abilities that can make poorly designed emails difficult or impossible to use.
  • Situational limitations: Even people without permanent disabilities face temporary or situational challenges, like checking email outdoors in bright sunlight, in a noisy environment, or while multitasking.

By designing with accessibility in mind, you’re not only being more inclusive but also ensuring your message reaches more people in more situations, expanding your audience and increasing the impact of every email you send.

Many countries have laws requiring digital accessibility (like the ADA in the US or the Equality Act in the UK). These laws are designed to ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to digital content and online services, and most are based on international standards such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). For example, the European Union enforces the Web Accessibility Directive and the upcoming European Accessibility Act, which require both public and private sector organizations to make their websites and digital products accessible. Countries like France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Israel, Australia, and Spain also have specific legislation mandating digital accessibility for government and, increasingly, private sector organizations.

Failure to comply with these laws can result in legal action, fines, and reputational damage. For instance, in Germany, non-compliance with accessibility standards can lead to penalties of up to €100,000, while in Canada and the US, organizations may face lawsuits, corrective orders, and financial penalties. As digital accessibility laws expand globally, organizations must prioritize accessible design to meet both legal requirements and the needs of all users.

3. Brand Reputation

Designing accessible emails directly impacts how your brand is perceived. Despite growing conversations around inclusive design, many companies still neglect accessibility in their email communications whether reaching out to clients or keeping employees informed. This lack of consideration can quietly damage a brand’s image, signaling that inclusion isn’t a priority.

Consumers are paying attention. 80% say inclusive marketing makes them more likely to do business with a brand, and 93% consider digital accessibility important when engaging with companies. Failing to meet those expectations can affect not only engagement but also how trustworthy and forward-thinking your brand appears.

On the flip side, consistently delivering accessible emails shows you care about all audiences. It positions your brand as inclusive, socially aware, and aligned with modern values, qualities that enhance reputation and strengthen loyalty over time.

4. Better User Experience

Accessibility improvements typically benefit everyone, not just people with disabilities. Features like larger fonts, clear headings, strong color contrast, and logical content order make emails easier to read and navigate for all users, whether they’re using a screen reader, a smartphone in bright light, or just skimming quickly on the go. When emails are more readable and user-friendly, engagement naturally improves. In short, what’s good for accessibility is often great for overall user experience.

Key Principles of Accessible Email Design

Semantic HTML Structure

Semantic HTML means using HTML tags that describe what the content is, not just how it looks. For example:

  • <h1> = this is a top-level heading
  • <p> = this is a paragraph
  • <ul> and <li> = this is a list and these are list items
  • <button> = this is a clickable button
  • <a> = this is a link

This is different from just using generic tags like <div> or <span>, which don’t carry any meaning in semanting HTML. Some of your email recipients may access their email content through screen readers, which rely on semantic structure to understand and navigate the message. If your email uses proper tags, a screen reader can announce sections like “Heading level 1,” “List with 3 items,” or “Link: Read more,” giving the user a clearer and smoother experience. Without these cues, your email becomes harder to follow, and key content can get lost. Semantic HTML ensures your message is not only visually appealing but also meaningful and accessible to everyone. 

Color and Contrast Considerations

Color choices significantly impact readability for users with visual impairments or color blindness. For example, If you’re designing a CTA button with white text on a light blue background, it may look clean but it could be hard to read for someone with low vision. Instead, using dark navy text on a pale yellow or vibrant blue background provides stronger contrast and better readability. 

Here are some best practices to keep in mind:

  • Maintain High Contrast Ratios: Aim for a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 between text and background colors.
  • Don’t Rely Solely on Color: Use additional indicators (like icons or text) to convey important information.
  • Avoid Problematic Color Combinations: Be mindful of common color blindness issues, particularly with red/green combinations.

Text on light backgrounds should be dark enough to read easily, while text on dark backgrounds should be light enough to stand out. Tools like the WebAIM Contrast Checker can help verify your color choices meet accessibility standards.

Alt Text for Images

Alternative text (alt text) provides text descriptions for images, making visual content accessible to screen reader users or when images fail to load. Accessibility in the case of alt text isn’t just for people with visual impairments or disabilities. While it’s essential for screen readers, it also helps in situations where images fail to load due to poor internet connection or email client restrictions. In those cases, the alt text still communicates the message or purpose of the image.

Plus, well-written alt text reinforces your content. If someone is skimming the email quickly or using a plain-text reader, that little description can still convey key information, like what the image is showing, what action you want them to take, or what message you’re emphasizing.

In short, alt text makes your emails more resilient, user-friendly, and informative for everyone.

A few simple rules to follow:

  • Be concise yet descriptive: Explain the purpose and content of the image clearly.
  • Avoid Redundancy: Don’t start with “image of” or “picture of”—screen readers already announce that it’s an image.
  • Include Empty Alt Attributes (alt=””) for decorative images that don’t add informational value.

Readable Font Choices and Sizes

Some people struggle to read emails because of small or hard-to-read fonts. This can be frustrating for anyone, but for people with certain disabilities or conditions, it creates a real barrier. 

If you’re thinking of designing eye-catching accessible emails, it’s important to choose fonts and sizes that are easy for everyone to read.

Use clean, sans-serif fonts like Arial, Helvetica, or Verdana, which are generally easier to read on screens. Avoid overly decorative or script-style fonts for body text, as they can be difficult to process quickly.

As a general rule:

  • Body text should be at least 14px to 16px.
  • Headings should be clearly larger and bolder to establish a visual hierarchy.
  • Line height (the space between lines) should be around 1.5x the font size to reduce eye strain.
  • Too many different fonts, sizes, and styles can be confusing so it’s better to limit font variations.

Also, ensure there’s enough spacing between paragraphs and sections so the content doesn’t feel cramped especially on mobile devices.

Readable fonts not only improve accessibility, they also increase engagement by making your content more inviting and easier to skim.

Logical Content Order

When designing accessible emails, the order of your content needs to follow a natural, intuitive flow. This is important because not everyone interacts with email visually. Screen reader users, for example, experience your message from top to bottom, one element at a time, rather than scanning the layout. 

Similarly, people who navigate using only a keyboard move through the content in a linear sequence. 

A clear, well-structured order also helps those with cognitive disabilities process the information more easily. By organizing your email logically from headings and introductions to body text and calls to action, you ensure that every reader, regardless of how they access your content, can follow along without confusion.

What makes a logical content order:

  • Hierarchical Structure: Start with the most important information (main headline, key message) at the top, then move to supporting details and finally to secondary information.
  • Related Content Grouping: Keep related pieces of information together rather than scattered throughout the email.
  • Predictable Patterns: Use consistent layouts across your emails so users know what to expect.
  • Progressive Disclosure: Present basic information first, then more detailed content.

A logically ordered marketing email might follow this structure:

  1. Header with brand identification
  2. Main headline
  3. Primary message and value proposition
  4. Supporting details or benefits
  5. Clear call-to-action
  6. Secondary offers or information
  7. Contact or unsubscribe information

Designing for Assistive Technologies

Chances are, some of your subscribers use assistive technologies to read their emails. That’s why it’s important to design eye-catching, accessible emails that work well for everyone, including those who rely on these tools.

Screen Reader Compatibility

Screen readers are among the most commonly used assistive technologies. They read digital content aloud or convert it into braille for users who are blind or have low vision. But for screen readers to work correctly, your email must be coded in a way that provides meaningful context.

This is where semantic HTML becomes crucial. For example, using proper heading tags like <h1> and <h2> helps screen readers understand the structure of your content and how to prioritize it. Without these, users might hear a wall of unstructured text with no clear flow or indication of what’s most important.

Similarly, avoid vague or repetitive link text like “click here” or “read more.” Instead, write links that clearly describe their destination or purpose such as “Read our full guide to accessible email design.” This helps screen reader users make informed choices about where to go next.

Images should always include descriptive alt text that explains their purpose or message. If the image is purely decorative, you can use empty alt text (alt=””) to let screen readers skip it. This keeps the experience clean and focused.

Keyboard Navigation Support

Many users navigate the web and their inboxes using only a keyboard, either by preference or necessity. This is especially common among people with motor impairments or those using assistive devices like switch controls. They typically rely on the Tab key to move between interactive elements like links, buttons, and form fields.

For these users, your email needs to follow a logical and predictable tab order. That means avoiding overly complex layouts that might jump around or trap users in a part of the email they can’t exit easily.

Also, make sure that all interactive elements such as buttons, links, or forms can be accessed and activated using just the keyboard. If you’re using custom-coded buttons or interactive elements, test them to ensure they respond to keyboard input (like the Enter or Space key).

Designing for keyboard access benefits more than just people with disabilities. Anyone using their laptop without a mouse or browsing on a touchpad in a hurry might also appreciate a well-structured, keyboard-friendly email.

Writing Accessible Email Content

Accessible email design isn’t just about visuals or clean code. It also involves writing content that is easy for all readers to understand. Here are a few helpful tips 

Clear and Concise Language

Clear language makes your emails more accessible to a wide range of readers, including people with cognitive disabilities or learning difficulties, those who speak English as a second language, people quickly scanning content on a mobile device, and anyone who appreciates straightforward communication. For example, someone with dyslexia may struggle with long, complex sentences or dense paragraphs, so using plain language and short chunks of text can make your message much easier to read. 

Key Principles for Clear and Concise Language

Writing in plain language helps ensure that your emails are understood by the widest possible audience. This means replacing jargon, technical terms, and complex vocabulary with simpler alternatives. For instance, instead of saying, “We’re implementing a new remuneration structure,” it’s clearer to say, “We’re changing how we pay employees.” When industry terms are necessary, a brief explanation can help readers stay on track.

Keeping your sentences short is another important strategy. Aim for an average length of 15 to 20 words, and try breaking up complex ideas into multiple sentences. Varying sentence length can maintain reader interest, but overly long sentences should be avoided.

Using direct, active language also improves clarity. The active voice is more engaging and easier to follow. Instead of writing, “The report will be delivered by our team,” say, “Our team will deliver the report.” Try to address the reader directly using “you” and “your” where relevant.

How you organize your content makes a big difference too. Start with the most important information first, following an inverted pyramid style. Use clear, descriptive headings and subheadings to guide readers through the content. Keep paragraphs focused on one main idea, and aim for short, digestible sections, ideally no more than three to four sentences per paragraph.

Formatting plays a key role in readability. Lists should be clearly structured, emphasis should be used sparingly (such as bolding key points), and generous white space should separate paragraphs. Short paragraphs also help the content feel approachable, especially on mobile screens.

Finally, always strive to avoid ambiguity. Be specific rather than vague, and define acronyms the first time you use them. If your message includes any potentially confusing concepts, provide enough context to make them clear.

To ensure your content is easy to understand, consider testing it. Tools like Hemingway Editor or Microsoft Word’s readability checker can help you measure sentence complexity. For general audiences, aim for a 6th to 8th-grade reading level. You can also ask someone unfamiliar with your topic to read the email and explain it back to you.If they can do it easily, your content is likely clear and accessible.

Descriptive Link Text

When you write emails, use clear words for links so everyone can understand them. This is especially important for people who use screen readers. Generic phrases like “click here” or “read more” lack context and can be confusing or meaningless when read out of context by assistive technologies. Screen reader users often navigate emails by jumping from link to link, hearing only the link text itself, not the surrounding content. If the link text is vague, users cannot determine where the link will take them or what action it will perform.

For example:

❌ Bad: “Click here to learn more”

✅ Good: “Download the guide” or “Read our safety tips”

Clear link text helps people know what will happen when they click. It makes emails easier for everyone to use, especially those who need screen readers. Always write links that explain the action or destination. This keeps your emails simple and accessible.

Testing and Tools for Email Accessibility

Creating accessible emails doesn’t stop at good design, you also need to test them to ensure they work for everyone. A combination of automated tools and manual checks can help you identify and fix potential issues before you hit send.

Accessibility Testing Tools

Several helpful tools are available to evaluate your email’s accessibility:

  • Color contrast analysers help ensure your text stands out clearly against the background. Tools like the WebAIM Contrast Checker and Color Contrast Analyzer can verify whether your color choices meet recommended contrast ratios.
  • Screen readers simulate how people with visual impairments experience your email. Free options like NVDA for Windows and VoiceOver for Mac allow you to hear how your email content is read aloud. Paid tools like JAWS offer more advanced features.
  • HTML validators like the W3C Markup Validation Service can catch structural errors or non-semantic HTML that may interfere with assistive tech.

Manual Testing Techniques

Automated tools are helpful, but they cannot catch every potential problem. That’s where manual testing comes in:

  • Keyboard-only navigation: Try navigating your email using only the tab and arrow keys. This shows how keyboard users experience your layout and whether interactive elements are easy to reach.
  • Screen reader testing: Run your email through a screen reader to check if the reading order makes sense and whether images, links, and headings are announced properly.
  • Viewing emails with images turned off: Many users disable images by default. Make sure your email still makes sense without visuals and that all important information is conveyed through text or alt attributes.
  • Zoom and scaling tests: Increase the zoom level in your email client or browser. Check that the layout holds up, the text remains legible, and nothing becomes cut off or overlaps.

Combining these tools and techniques helps ensure your email is truly accessible, offering a smoother experience for everyone regardless of how they view or interact with it.

Accessible Email Signatures

Your emails are incomplete without a professional, accessible email signature. While they serve as both your digital business card and an extension of your brand identity, recipients should be able to access your contact information regardless of their abilities. When your signature is accessible, people using screen readers can easily find your contact details. Those with visual impairments can read your information without struggling with tiny fonts or poor contrast. Mobile users can tap your phone number or address without frustration.

Accessible signatures strengthen your professional image while showing that you care about including everyone in your communications. They demonstrate attention to detail and consideration for all recipients, regardless of their abilities.

Making your signature accessible isn’t complicated, but it makes a significant difference in how people experience your emails. With tools like WiseStamp’s email signature manager, you can create signatures that are both visually appealing and accessible to everyone who receives your messages. This guide explains everything you need to know about creating inclusive email signatures.

Conclusion

Designing accessible emails isn’t just about following rules. It’s about making sure your message can be understood and appreciated by everyone. By applying basic accessibility principles, such as adding proper alt text, choosing readable font sizes, and maintaining strong color contrast, you create emails that are more inclusive, user-friendly, and effective for all recipients, regardless of ability.

Remember, accessibility is a journey, not a one-time fix. Start with these foundational steps and continue refining your approach over time.