Writing For Accessibility
MailChimp — Writing for Accessibility
Core principle
Accessible writing serves diverse audiences with varying abilities and interaction methods — including screen reader users, keyboard navigation users, and those with cognitive differences. Accessibility is not a checklist; it is a writing practice that benefits all readers.
Accessibility requirements may be legally mandated depending on the reader's location. Design for the broadest possible audience by default.
Headings and structure
Headers must follow a nested, consecutive pattern without skipping levels:
- Page title → H1
- Top-level sections → H2
- Subsections → H3 and deeper
Do not skip heading levels for visual styling purposes. Do not create excessive nesting. Place the most critical information first in every section.
Content organization
- Group related topics within paragraphs; separate distinct topics with headings
- Use actual list elements for list content — not run-on sentences with commas
- Outlines with key messages help establish logical organization before writing begins
- Keep sentences short and paragraphs focused on one idea
Link text
Link text must describe its destination or the action it triggers. Generic phrases fail users of assistive technology who navigate by link text alone.
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| "Read the accessibility guide" | "Click here" |
| "Download the 2025 report (PDF)" | "Learn more" |
| "Contact our support team" | "Here" |
Form labels
- Use explicit, clear labels for every input field — implemented with correct HTML label elements
- Minimize the number of form fields (shorter forms are more accessible)
- Explicitly mark required fields
Alt text
Images fall into two categories with different alt text requirements:
Creative or narrative images: Provide detailed descriptive captions that communicate the content and intent. A photo of a team celebrating should describe what is happening, not just "Team photo."
Functional images: Describe the content so that a non-visual user receives identical information. A chart showing Q3 revenue by region should have alt text that summarizes the data, not "chart."
Decorative images: Use empty alt text (alt="") so screen readers skip them.
Browser handling of alt attributes varies. Supplement with standard captions when the image carries significant content.
Video and audio
All videos require closed captions or full transcripts. Present video information in an alternative format for users who cannot access audio or video.
Visual contrast and color
Do not rely on color alone to communicate meaning — always provide a text label or pattern in addition to color coding. Maintain high contrast between text and background for users with low vision.
Avoiding directional language
Do not use instructions that assume screen layout or visual position:
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| "Select from these options:" | "Select from the options in the right sidebar" |
| "Use the navigation menu" | "Click the menu at the top" |
Directional language fails on mobile, alternative layouts, and screen readers.
Plain language
- Use short sentences with familiar vocabulary
- Explain abbreviations and acronyms on first mention
- Minimize jargon and domain-specific slang
- A simpler word is almost always more accessible than a technical equivalent