10 Ways to Make Your Emails More Accessible

Can we talk about email accessibility for a minute?

Almost every marketing email has accessibility problems. In fact, the Email Markup Consortium found that 99.89% of HTML emails tested contained serious or critical accessibility issues. Out of more than 443,000 emails analysed, only 21 passed all automated accessibility checks.

You can build a beautiful, accessible website, follow all the best practices, and then send an email that renders completely differently depending on whether someone opens it in Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, Yahoo, on mobile, on desktop, in dark mode, in light mode, with images turned off, with text enlarged, or with a screen reader.

It's chaos.

Unlike websites, where you have a bit more control, email clients all behave differently. Some automatically invert colours in dark mode, block images, strip out styling and some decide to get creative and reinterpret your design entirely.

Because of that, creating accessible emails is more about making them resilient than making them look pretty.

Here are ten simple ways to make your emails easier for more people to read and engage with.

1. Use real text, not images of text

This is probably the biggest one.

If important information is embedded inside an image, people can't resize it, search it, copy it, translate it, or have it reliably read by assistive technology.

Whenever possible, use actual text.

2. Keep your structure clear

Use headings, short paragraphs and logical spacing.

A wall of text is difficult for everyone to read, not just people using assistive technology.

If someone only spends 20 seconds scanning your email, they should still understand the main message.

3. Check your colour contrast

That pale grey text on a beige background might look elegant on your laptop.

For someone reading outdoors, with low vision, or on a dim screen, it can be nearly impossible to read.

When in doubt, increase the contrast.

4. Be careful with dark mode

Many email clients automatically adjust colours in dark mode.

The problem is that they don't always do it well.

Text can disappear, colours can clash, and carefully designed layouts can become difficult to read.

Always test emails in both light and dark mode if you can.

5. Use descriptive links

Avoid vague phrases like:

"Click here"

"Read more"

"Learn more"

Instead, tell people where they're going:

"Download the guide"

"View pricing"

"Read the case study"

Clear links help everyone, especially screen reader users.

6. Make buttons easy to identify

Buttons should look like buttons.

Links should look like links.

Avoid relying on subtle colour changes alone to communicate interactivity.

People shouldn't have to guess where they can click.

7. Add meaningful alt text

Alt text helps screen reader users understand the purpose of an image.

Keep it concise and focused on the information that matters.

And remember: alt text is useful, but it isn't a substitute for accessible content.

8. Avoid tiny font sizes

What looks perfectly readable on a large desktop monitor may be frustratingly small on a mobile device.

Always check your emails on your phone before sending them.

Your subscribers probably are.

9. Don't rely on colour alone

If you're highlighting something important, use more than just colour.

For example, don't make a deadline red and assume everyone will notice.

Use headings, labels, bold text or icons to reinforce meaning.

10. Test before you send

Open your email on different devices.

Try dark mode.

Zoom in.

Read it quickly.

Read it slowly.

Ask yourself:

Can I still understand this if the images don't load?

Can I still navigate it if I skim?

Would I know what action to take next?

You don't need specialist software to spot many accessibility issues.

A quick sense-check can go a long way.

The takeaway

It’s bloomin hard to create a perfect email that behaves identically everywhere. Potentially impossible.

Email clients all have their own quirks, limitations and strange little habits.

The goal is to create emails that work well enough across different devices, settings and ways of reading.

When you do that, you improve accessibility and the experience for everyone on your list!