One of the most essential parts of an accessible email is a well-defined image. Alternative text or alt text (a.k.a. alt tag), can help interpret an image for screen readers. They also come in handy when a subscriber’s email client blocks images. Therefore, it is paramount to write good alt text when optimizing an email for accessibility. In this article, we explore how email alt text improves the user experience and demonstrate the best practices for writing alt text.
What is an Alt Text and Why is It Important?
Alt text is a brief description of an image used in email campaigns. They are displayed when the recipient’s ESP fails to render the image for the end user. This can occur when the recipient has images turned off in their email client or uses a screen reader. Alt text helps recipients understand the purpose of images in emails. They might seem insignificant at first, but including alt text in images can help improve the effectiveness of your email campaigns.
Responsive email marketing campaigns have images embedded for improved aesthetics. This helps your target audience visualize the message and respond passionately. Images create compelling content. Without them, email marketers might lose an opportunity to convert prospects into paying customers.
Screen Readers and Alt Text
Accessibility plays a significant role in email deliverability. Even the smallest modifications can create an extraordinary experience for recipients. Think about it: will a screen reader user appreciate a blank alt attribute or a well-defined alt tag? By simply ensuring the images in an email have alt tags, you can drastically improve the overall user experience.
HTML Emails and Alt Tags
When an email fails to render due to low-bandwidth, the server automatically searches for a fallback. For every image that fails to load, the server tries to compensate with an HTML tag. This is why you need to write good alt text to ensure your email messages stand out under all circumstances.
Best Practices for Writing Alt Tags in Emails
Email accessibility not only improves the performance of your marketing campaigns but also builds brand reputation. Here are ten best practices for writing alt text for better email optimization:
Keep It Simple
Real estate is precious in the alt text field. Veteran email marketers recommend limiting the content to 125 characters, as most screen readers don’t read past that number. Therefore, you should describe images in one or two sentences to keep things interesting and improve accessibility for visually impaired users.
Use Proper Punctuation
Punctuation is a must, as it tells screen readers where to pause, helping them narrate the content better. Without proper punctuation, sentences can be confusing, leading to potential misinterpretation of the information. Well-punctuated alt text reflects attention to detail and professionalism, improving the overall quality of the message.
Don’t Copy and Paste Image Captions
The alt text describes images in your emails when they fail to load on the viewer’s device. Therefore, you should provide additional content defining the embedded images beyond what is provided in the image caption. The goal is to offer valuable content using action words to streamline the customer journey. Hence, copy-pasting image captions to the alt text field can hamper your email marketing campaign’s success.
Provide Context
Just like email subject lines, the alt text content needs to be relevant to your email message. Consider the information the reader gets from the contents of your email, such as the subject line, body, CTA, and linked images, before writing the alt text. As a rule of thumb, simplify the alt text to help readers gain clarity.
Re-state the Image
Good alt attributes reinforce the image caption. Therefore, it should highlight the facts mentioned in the image. For instance, if the embedded image is for a 25% discount for clearance sale, the alt text should directly state the offer instead of describing the product displayed in the photo. The purpose of embedding images is to deliver your marketing message. A good alt text does the same job.
Distinguish Decorative Images
When you embed images in your emails, it’s essential to distinguish promotional images from decorative ones. This helps recipients identify valuable information when using screen readers or reading HTML emails.
Avoid Repeating Content
Just like hearing the same story is boring, reading the same alt text multiple times in one email can quickly suck the excitement out of a banner image. Even if you use the same CID image throughout an email campaign, try to get creative with the alt text to spice things up a little for the reader. Using different alt texts can also minimize confusion and lend individuality to every image.
Use Brand Styling
You can personalize image alt texts by adding colors and using fonts and typography unique to your business. This will help break the monotony and distinguish your brand in the recipient’s inbox. However, using system fonts is the safest bet here, as it will load on all mobile devices, desktops, and tablets. But feel free to change the font’s stance and weight to improve visual aesthetics.
Test Your Alt Text
Always check the alt text ahead of time to make sure email providers will display it correctly. You can send test emails throughout your subscriber list and disable images to ensure the alt text is working as intended across all email servers.
Keep Experimenting
Innovation is one of the most essential parts of email marketing optimization. Your subscribers are always on the lookout for new and exciting offers. You can personalize the alt attributes to deliver exciting content your audience will appreciate. Just like experimenting with email templates, calls to action, and subject lines, you can get creative with alt texts as well.
How Does a Decent Alt Tag Appear?
Here is an example of an optimized HTML code for the image format above:
<img src=”red-outdoor-sweater.jpg” alt=”Men’s long sleeve red outdoor sweater” title=”Red Outdoor Sweater”/>
Let’s dissect the tag into a few primary components, namely, the image file or source, the alt text, and the image title.
- src=“red-outdoor-sweater.jpg” refers to the file name or the source of the image.
- alt=“Men’s long sleeve red outdoor sweater” is the alt tag. Notice how it vividly describes the image without taking the focus away from the actual product.
- title=“Red Outdoor Sweater” is the image title.
Since the alt tag describes the image for screen readers and HTML emails, it’s essential to stick to a word count. A sentence or two should suffice. But if you have the space, use it to provide context for the image. If the embedded image contains important text, you should include that in the alt text so the message is not overlooked.
Why Should You Focus on Accessibility?
Email accessibility in the United States is a legal right protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Under the ADA legislation, thousands of lawsuits have been filed against organizations failing to meet recognized accessibility standards.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 12 million people in the US aged 40 years and older have some form of visual impairment. Therefore, comprehensive email campaign optimization makes sense commercially to maximize your outreach potential.
Ensuring your emails are accessible means that all recipients, including those with disabilities, can read and understand the content. This promotes inclusivity and equal access to information. Accessible emails provide a better user experience for everyone. Clear, well-structured content benefits all readers, making it easier to understand and navigate.
Optimize Your Email Campaigns with Expert Guidance
Optimizing alt text in your emails is not just a suggestion. It’s essential for creating inclusive and effective email marketing campaigns. By following the above-mentioned best practices, you can ensure that all your recipients, including those who rely on screen readers, receive your message loud and clear.
Remember, good alt texts enhance the user experience, reinforce your marketing message, and help you comply with accessibility standards. Start implementing these strategies today, and watch your email engagement and customer satisfaction soar. Discover the power of inclusive design with Email Industries’ comprehensive email marketing services.
Our expert team will help you craft emails that not only captivate your audience but also ensure accessibility for all. From optimizing alt texts to creating visually compelling campaigns, we provide the tools and insights you need to enhance the user experience and boost engagement. Don’t miss out on converting more prospects into loyal customers. Book a discovery call today to learn how our experts can supercharge your email marketing campaigns.
Marketing at Email Industries