Key takeaways ✨
- Litmus helps make emails accessible with visible impairment filters and 40+ accessibility checks.
- Curious what your electronic mail appears like when utilizing a display screen reader? Litmus can learn emails out loud so that you’re by no means left guessing.
- By no means miss various textual content (alt textual content) once more. Litmus checks to verify alt textual content is populated and optimized accurately.
Accessibility issues and entrepreneurs understand it. However that doesn’t imply they all the time comply with the rules to a T. And a few entrepreneurs don’t know how you can get began making their emails extra inclusive—however fortunately we will help with that.
Litmus added accessibility checks to the platform again in 2019, and continues so as to add new options for entrepreneurs worldwide. It’s our aim to assist entrepreneurs create emails that look nice and carry out on each gadget and for each subscriber. With Litmus accessibility checks, optimizing your emails for everybody is a complete lot simpler.
Desk of contents:
Why electronic mail accessibility is a battle for entrepreneurs
The Internet Content material Accessibility Tips (WCAG) 1.0 had been launched method again in 1999. The two.0 model was launched in 2008 and constructed on principals, “… for builders to make sure an accessible internet expertise for all customers.” Meaning accessibility ought to have been a spotlight for entrepreneurs the final 25+ years. So why is it nonetheless such a battle?
“I believe there’s a change aspect right here of, ‘Oh if we modify the e-mail, we have now to strip it actually actually again.’ I believe there’s loads of thought across the electronic mail goes to be boring and we will’t have pictures and we will’t do all these things. So folks don’t change.“
Beth O’Malley
Founder, CRM, E mail & Advertising Specialist at astral.
The reality is, there’s a disconnect between intention and motion. Solely 47% of firms use even fundamental accessibility concerns like alt textual content of their emails.
However implementing key finest practices isn’t only a nice-to-have.
Accessibility is a human proper. It’s upheld by civil rights legal guidelines just like the European Accessibility Act (EAA), People with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Accessible Canada Act (ACA), and the ADA Requirements for Accessible Design (ADA Requirements).
With the suitable instruments, you’ll be able to establish areas for enchancment and make small modifications to your emails which have a huge impact and make your emails higher for everybody. With accessibility testing in Litmus, we provide help to do exactly that.
Ship with whole confidence
Preview emails in 100+ purchasers, catch errors, and guarantee accessibility. Minimize QA time in half.
What’s an electronic mail accessibility checker?
There are instruments, small to sturdy, to assist test electronic mail accessibility—therefore the title “accessibility checker.” Some offers you a grade for a way accessible your ship is, and others will flag parts to repair.
You possibly can test colour distinction utilizing instruments like WebAIM and run your website by way of web site accessibility checks. However there aren’t loads of email-specific testing instruments on the market—besides Litmus. We’ve accessibility checks included with each plan.
How Litmus’ accessibility checks works
With accessibility testing in Litmus, it’s simple to make accessibility optimization part of your electronic mail workflow. Immediately see whether or not your electronic mail is accessible for all of your subscribers throughout electronic mail constructing and electronic mail testing. Then get actionable recommendation on how one can make your emails extra inclusive (like writing for accessibility).
- Verify in case your electronic mail follows accessibility finest practices. Litmus runs your electronic mail by way of 40+ checks together with accessible design, coding for accessibility, distinction ratio, and extra to make sure your electronic mail is accessible to everybody.
- Hear how your electronic mail sounds on display screen readers. 2.2 billion folks reside with some type of visible impairment and lots of depend on display screen readers to eat on-line content material. That doesn’t even embody the individuals who merely like having their content material learn out loud to them. Litmus integrates with NVDA to learn emails aloud and ensure the whole lot sounds appropriate earlier than sending.
- Get actionable recommendation to enhance the accessibility of your emails. See whether or not your electronic mail comprises ALT tags, in case your content material hierarchy is accessible, and guarantee your HTML code is optimized for assistive units.
- Visible impairment filters. Verify your electronic mail towards 4 colour imaginative and prescient deficiency filters to see how your electronic mail shows for subscribers with visible impairments.
Who advantages from Litmus’ accessibility checks?
Accessibility shouldn’t be a nice-to-have; it’s a requirement. Litmus accessibility checks will help all manufacturers—small and enormous—get and keep compliant.
RoleChallengeHow Litmus HelpsEmail builders and designersDesigning and coding a ravishing electronic mail simply to seek out out it’s not compliant is a big bummer—and a waste of time.Construct Litmus’ Visible impairment filters it into your electronic mail design system to make sure there’s sufficient colour distinction in your electronic mail design.Advertising teamsIt’s necessary that your complete viewers can simply learn and click on in your emails.Litmus Accessibility Checks offer you visibility while not having to really dive into the code—and steerage on fixing any points.Compliance teamsExternal supplies should meet accessibility legal guidelines in each nation emails are despatched, together with utilizing display screen readers.Hear what your electronic mail appears like in 80+ languages to verify it really works for individuals who must, or wish to, use display screen readers.
Accessibility made easy
Creating accessible emails is now not elective—it’s required. Find out about accessibility’s influence on manufacturers from two trade consultants.
Learn how to repair your electronic mail accessibility challenges
In case you checked your electronic mail for accessibility and located an error, you should definitely repair it earlier than sending. Listed below are a handful of frequent accessibility points and how you can repair them utilizing Litmus.
Downside: your emails fail WCAG compliance and accessibility requirements
In case your emails don’t meet WCAG requirements, it is advisable to repair them earlier than you even take into consideration clicking that “ship” button. Litmus hyperlinks every recognized accessibility challenge to exterior assist articles so you may get them fastened rapidly.
Downside: your emails are arduous to learn in Darkish Mode
As a person, I like Darkish Mode. As a marketer, not a lot as a result of it provides an additional step or three to our workflow. However, contemplating 82% of cell customers choose Darkish Mode, it’s essential to verify each ship is straightforward to learn in the popular mode. Litmus checks your Darkish Mode and reveals and HTML errors in Builder so you’ll be able to remediate your code.
Study from the most effective
Your favourite manufacturers use Litmus to ship flawless electronic mail experiences. Uncover the ROI your emails can obtain with Litmus.
Downside: display screen readers can’t interpret your electronic mail accurately
This drawback might forestall hundreds of individuals from consuming the information in your electronic mail. The commonest causes that forestall display screen readers from studying your electronic mail accurately are:
- Lack of hierarchy in your electronic mail. Be certain to make use of H1, H2s, and so forth, and don’t get too fancy with the place copy begins and stops.
- You’re lacking alt attributes. There’s no cause to overlook alt attributes, particularly when instruments, like Litmus, can establish any missed alt textual content for you.
“We’ve been speaking about accessibility for a lot of, a few years. I do know all of us, I’m positive, have, and I believe alt textual content is the bottom hanging fruit for accessibility. It’s not tremendous arduous to implement, but it has a really enormous distinction in how display screen readers can help of us with disabilities.“
Lauren Gannon
Senior VP, Artistic at Zeta World
Unsure how you can begin? Our E mail Templates Hub has dozens of contemporary, high-quality templates which might be free to obtain and use. Every one has a responsive, hybrid, and mobile-aware model and will be simply adjusted to suit your wants.
tips in People with Disabilities Act (ADA) and European Accessibility Act (EAA), as a place to begin to verify each ship ticks off each field. The checks constructed into each Litmus plan can even assist ensure your sends meet fundamental necessities.
Accessibility testing is accessible on all Litmus plans. Begin your free trial and begin making your emails higher for everybody.
Not able to buy a plan? Litmus Academy presents a free, 20-minute course on electronic mail accessibility.
Lindsey is a Sr. Content material Advertising Supervisor at Litmus.
