Accessibility and text content

Reading text online can be harder on a small-screen device, for people with a cognitive or learning disability, or when your content isn’t structured to support screen reader users.

There are many ways to write and structure your text content to remove unnecessary barriers between your visitors and the information they’re looking for.

Here are some tips!

Use plain language

Start by making your language as clear and straightforward as possible.

Plain English makes sure people don’t have to work harder than necessary to understand your content. Some subjects will require technical language, but if that’s the case, explain any terms that your audience might not understand.

Break up long paragraphs of text

People tend to scan web pages rather than reading every word from beginning to end. So a page with good writing can still be difficult to read if it’s presented as one large, dense block of text – especially on small screens.

If someone only reads the headings on your web page and skims the first sentence of each paragraph, would they understand what the page is about?

Use lists to simplify information

If you’re writing a series of items or steps, a list would work better than a paragraph.

Lists make information easier to scan and can make complicated instructions much easier to follow.

Use your content management system (CMS) or document editing toolbar to format your list rather than manually indenting with numbers, dashes or asterisks.

When somebody using a screen reader reaches a properly formatted list, they will know how many items the list contains and which item in the list they are on.

Use headings for clarity and structure

Headings identify what each section on your web page is about so people can quickly scan the page and find the information they need.

Your page should have a logical heading hierarchy:

• H1 is the main page title. There should only be one H1 per page.
• H2 introduces important sections
• H3 provides subsections within those H2 sections
• And so on

A logical heading structure makes the page easier to navigate for screen reader users, so:

• Don’t format text to look like a heading by making it bold or increasing its font size
• Avoid jumping from an H2 to an H4 simply because you prefer the way it looks
• Do use the heading formatting options provided by your CMS or document editing software.

Make your links descriptive

Links are another opportunity to make your content easier to scan.

Avoid vague link text such as ‘click here’ or ‘read more’.

Instead, describe where the link goes or what the person will find when they follow it.

Descriptive links are easier for everyone to understand. They’re also important for screen reader users, who may navigate through a page using a list of its links.

Don’t rely on colour or position to communicate meaning

Make sure people don’t need to see a particular colour or visual feature to understand your content. For example: Select the green button on the right.

What if someone can’t distinguish the colour? What if they’ve zoomed in? What if they’re using a mobile device and the button isn’t on the right?

Instead, identify what action they should take such as ‘submit your application’.

Think about how your content looks on the page

The way text is formatted can make a significant difference to readability.

For example, avoid justified text on websites. The uneven spaces between words can make text harder to read, particularly for people with dyslexia.

It’s also best to avoid large amounts of centred text. Centre alignment can work well for short headings or other small pieces of text, but long paragraphs with uneven starting points make it harder to find the beginning of the next line.

Make accessibility part of your content process

Build accessibility into the way you write and publish your digital text content. A quick checklist:

• Is the language clear and easy to understand?
• Can someone quickly scan the page and find what they need?
• Do the headings accurately describe each section?
• Is the heading hierarchy logical?
• Could any longer paragraphs be broken up?
• Would a list make any information easier to follow?
• Are links descriptive?
• Is important information communicated without relying on colour or other visual characteristics?
• Is the text formatted correctly?

Thinking about how your content is presented can prevent many common accessibility problems before they reach your audience.

Making your text content as clear and easy to navigate as possible makes a significant difference to the experience of using your website. And it shows you respect your visitors.

For more advice on accessible text content, take a look at our guide to accessible content. You’ll also find help with colour contrast, images, audio, video, tables, social media, documents, useful accessibility tools and more.

Studio 24’s simple accessibility review

If you are unsure how accessible your website is, or would like some reassurance that you are adding content to your website in an accessible way, we offer a simple accessibility review.

We’ll show you where on your website accessibility issues are occurring and explain the problem the cause for your website visitors. We will support you with the next steps to make improvements.