Digital Accessibility For Marketers Part 3: Email, Social Content & SEO

A marketer’s job is more than simply creating an user-friendly website. Marketing pros also use various methods and channels to attract visitors. It doesn’t matter if you have the greatest web site in the world if people aren’t visiting it, you might as well have one of those terrific Angelfire websites dating (remember them?). First of all, this article series is going to introduce you to some foundational practices you can begin implementing right now to make your web content more accessible too. Interactive tools and strategies in our previous post on Digital Accessibility for User Experience & Websites look at website marketing features; this post will detail external channels and mediums, include testing them, and begin with email. You may also take a look at the first part of this three-part series for a complete description of accessibility issues.
Accessible email
An email inventory is among the most crucial resources in the digital marketing tool belt. Companies use it to both finish promotional transactions and for customer communications. You d be hard pressed to find a company today that does not take advantage of email. Though quite a few organizations apply email to communicate with clients, clients, and investors, not all of them ensure that customers’ emails are opened.
HTML versus plain-text emails
If your company regularly sends out plain text messages, your messages are accessible (see previous post for more information). If the content of your link text isn’t easy for clients to understand, they will not have the ability to get the gist of the notification . It isn’t an insuperable obstacle. Perhaps, you are wondering why marketers adore HTML emails. And isn’t that good? You can looks amazing, add appealing GIFs and pictures, and make a compelling email that you would be able to achieve with a plain-text email.
Email is also becoming a popular choice for marketing, considering the fact that third-party cookies are no longer popular. The issue is that you often wind up using don’t look at the matter. The issue is that you likely don’t pay close attention to your accessibility when designing your email messages, which some individuals might not be able to comprehend. An HTML email is similar to a webpage, as it utilizes the header and image tags and styling to render in a browser. a plain text email is just that, plain text. Your HTML emails need to be accessible to users if you comply with the same guidelines you’d encounter for websites.
The problem with table-based layouts
Most HTML emails utilize HTML table tags because they make it easy for users to check their emails in distinct email applications and gadgets. However, table tags were never intended for displaying HTML; they work like most other web design techniques. As a screen reader will normally group table cells as separate lines, screen reader users may experience portions in the content that do not flow together with smoothness. That being the case, you should consider injecting a bit of code in your HTML that prevents screen reader users from attending to the content displayed in tables. You might already have a brief snippet of code named presentation that targets such users. just add the code to the morsel and it will function as an alert to users.

The element’s table structure is completely hidden from screen executive functions like the refresh button, while at the same time leaving its contents unaffected. Screen users depend on the impression that an insider wizard unveiled the hidden lesson.
Don’t be stingy with your tags
Even if you’re creating a new email, it doesn’t mean the protocol for ensuring organized code doesn’t go out the window. Keep in mind that your headers should be used correctly (e.g., use H1 for the title, H2 H3 for subheadings, etc.) so everybody, regardless of their individual visual appeal, can comprehend the gist of your content. Take advantage of title tags here too, to provide additional context.
Alternative text matters here too!
If your email client requires you to click to download images, you may have experienced the following blank squares appearing in your messages, and then only wheelie-bins to alert you to something was going on. When you clicked Download images, the stacked pieces of the puzzle began to fit together, but the whole information eluded you until you opened them. Unfortunately, this is going to be a daily (or hourly) experience for screen reader users for the developers until they give their images alternative text. So do your developers a favor and provide alternative text of their images for sales emails. For decorative artwork, use an empty alt attribute.
Mobile accessibility best practices
It has now become more crucial to take into account mobile accessibility when designing a website or interface. Conventions for an optimal mobile experience coincide with accessibility considerations. For example: Maintain your message above 14px if readers have difficulty reading it for mobile. Keep your text’s color variance to accepted standards so that it renders better for people who have all kinds of eyesight. Save your paragraphs aren’t just centered (more challenging to read, especially from a small device) Make your link text informative as well as short.
An inclusive multimedia experience
Multimedia such as videos and podcasts are stellar resources for promoting brand acknowledgment, attracting general interest, and reaching consumers. The process is surprisingly easy, and it is especially useful to provide such content freely. By giving it an outlet, the public can experience firsthand how good these resources can be.
Accessible videos
As marketing becomes more and more digital, it’s important for marketers to consider accessibility for all users. Videos are a great way to engage with audiences, but not all videos are accessible to everyone. Here are some tips for creating accessible videos for digital accessibility:
1. Use descriptive captions and audio descriptions.
2. Create transcripts of your videos.
3. Use clear and concise language that is easy to understand.
4. Choose an appropriate font size and color contrast for your text.
5. Avoid using flashing or strobing effects in your videos.
6. Make sure your videos can be played on a variety of devices and browsers.
7. Test your videos with people who have different disabilities to make sure they can access and understand them.
SO (search engine optimization) and accessibility
Screen readers mimic the functionality of web crawlers, and they are both adept at reading books designed for people with eyesight issues. Zip files, multimedia sequences, etc., which require functional accessibility, are inaccessible to both groups. They can’t tell the name of the zip file until the targeted attributes are available. If you need to enhance your site’s search engine optimization, there are various methods you may take, such as utilizing various accessible cues and regulatory specifications. Along with these, using sequential headings and descriptive link text will also improve your site’s visibility.
Testing your marketing materials for accessibility
In accord with your plans to supply a wider, more accessible choice, the functioning of your links verifies of equal relevance. Due to lacking accessibility assurances, however, at this point your fight is no more than halfway successful. As well, documentation and recording your results will be useful for your company if you so much as hear of the prospective lawsuit. This will give you insights into the causes behind your accessibility issues, so you can eliminate such problems going forward.
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