Make your content accessible

Every piece of content you create can either make things easier for someone, or create a barrier.

That might be an email, a report, a document, a presentation or something you publish online. Whatever the format, the choices you make about words, structure, links, images, colour and layout all affect how easy that content is to access and understand.

Accessible content is not just for a small group of people. It can help someone using a screen reader, someone with dyslexia or a cognitive disability, someone reading in their second language, someone using their phone in bright sunlight, or simply someone who is busy, tired or trying to find an answer quickly.

And it does not need to be complicated.

This simple guide includes some simple, practical things you can do to make your content clearer, easier to use and more inclusive. You do not need to be an accessibility specialist and you do not need to get everything perfect overnight.

Start with one thing. Build better habits. Keep asking who might be excluded by the choices you make.

Because accessibility is not an extra step at the end. It is part of creating good content in the first place.

Make sure people can see your words.

Think carefully about colour. Dark grey writing on a slightly lighter grey background might look stylish, but some people will struggle to read it.

Make sure there is a strong difference (or contrast) between your words and the background. And never use colour alone to explain something. Instead of saying “the items in red need attention”, add a word or symbol too.

Tell people what important pictures show.

Alternative text, usually called alt text, describes an image for someone who cannot see it. Imagine you are describing the picture to somebody on the telephone. What do they need to know?

If the image is purely decorative and adds no information, it may not need a description at all. The important question is simple: what would somebody miss if they could not see this image?

Make links tell people where they are going.

Avoid links that just say “click here”, “read more” or “find out more”.

Someone using a screen reader may navigate through a page by jumping from link to link, so every link should make sense on its own. Instead of click here, try book your accessibility training or read our accessibility guide. Everyone benefits from knowing what is going to happen before they select something.

Use headings like signposts.

A long webpage without headings is like a book without chapters. Give your information a clear title, then use headings and subheadings in a sensible order.

In documents, use the proper built-in heading styles rather than simply making words bigger and bold.

Good structure helps screen-reader users navigate, but it also helps everyone scan information and find what they need quickly.

Use words people can understand.

Plain language is accessibility.

Use familiar words. Keep sentences reasonably short. Explain technical terms when you need them. Put the most important information first. Do not make somebody decode your organisation's jargon before they can understand what they need to do.

Clear writing helps people with cognitive access needs, learning disabilities, dyslexia and people reading in a second language… and it also helps somebody who is busy, distracted or simply wants an answer quickly.