by Sheryl Allen

(Photo by Fabian Irsara on Unsplash)

What is accessible copy?

In an ideal world, everyone – including people with disabilities – can view, understand and interact with your content, both online and offline. If so, you’ve created accessible content. Go you!

You might already know what accessible content looks like (think: colour contrasts, font sizes, white space, image alt-text, and so on).

But have you thought about the copy itself? How your words, sentences, paragraphs, even your calls to action, can be made more accessible?

Why have accessible copy?

If your copy isn’t accessible, you’re only playing half the game. You’re excluding some people (maybe many people) from your content and messaging. You’re not reaching your full audience and you’re not meeting guidelines for fair and inclusive content.

Government has a keen focus on accessible content. It’s their obligation. But for you, creating accessible copy is a smart business decision, even if you’re not playing in the government, disability or community sectors.

Why?  

Because it means more people can access your marketing, your brand messages and your calls to action.

More people have the chance to consume your products, services and ideas.

And that’s always a good thing, right?

So, read on for my insider (wink-wink) tips.

Tip #1 – Make it scannable

Structure your copy so it’s easy on the eye, easy for readers to find and keep their place, and easy for readers to pinpoint what they’re looking for.

Focus on not overwhelming your reader.

How? Start here:

• use relevant and logical headings (H1, H2 + H3) that layer your ideas
• break up blocks of text with meaningful sub-headings
• use shorter paragraphs (one main idea per para)

Deeper dive? Check out this article on Cognitive Load Theory.

Tip #2 – Make it clear

Clarity is everything. Without it, your message is lost.

How? Start here:

• use plain language (many guidelines call for reading level of grade 8)
• get to your point early
• stick to your point
• use shorter words
• use shorter sentences
• cut the fluff
• avoid jargon, legalese, acronyms and swanky language
• get out of your own way – put your reader first

Tip #3 – Minimise punctuation and caps

Punctuation is designed to make your sentence clear, not to make it look fancy. Most people overdo punctuation and capital letters. They add them in willy-nilly, tripping readers up and causing confusion. Minimising punctuation and caps streamlines your copy and makes the read slicker.

How? Start here:

• learn correct usage of punctuation – if your organisation doesn’t have an in-house style guide, refer to the government style guide
• learn correct usage of capitals (see above)
• use sentence case for headings and sub-headings (not title case) – capital letters disrupt the natural reading flow
• consider breaking your sentence into two or three shorter ones – too many commas, colons and dashes likely means your sentence is too long or too complex

Tip #4 – Make hyperlinks meaningful

‘Click here’ or ‘read more’ might seem like no-brainer hyperlink text. But for someone using a text-reader, it’s a no-go call to action. They need to know where the link’s taking them.

How? Start here:

• make the hyperlink text itself descriptive – so it describes the content of the link target (like how I’ve worded the hyperlink text in this article)

Tip #5 – Make it something else (sometimes)

Written copy isn’t always the best way to convey your message, especially if it’s complex, instructional or fact-based. I hear you – that’s rich coming from a copywriter. But it’s a truth bomb we all need to hear. Look for alternatives that let you speak to more people.

How? Consider swapping out text for:

• infographics
• images
• video content
• don’t forget the alt-text and captions

Bonus tip – Make it a list

Too many ideas, too many commas, too many items? Maybe you need a list instead. Try converting your unwieldy sentence or para into a bullet list of rapid-fire phrases. You’ll also be improving scanning ease (See Tip #1).

Over to you

Writing more accessible copy won’t happen overnight. Just keep these tips in mind. Over time you’ll find writing clearer, readable copy comes more naturally to you.

Before you know it, your message will be reaching a wider audience and hopefully translating to more engagement and interaction. Or more products added to cart or more bums on seats, if that’s your jam.

Need a professional copywriter to help wrangle your copy into more accessible shape? Reach out for a chat.