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Transactional Emails

Auto-response emails that follow an action by a subscriber or user.

Accessibility

  • Use descriptive subject lines: Your subject lines should be brief but descriptive, and give subscribers an accurate idea of what’s in the email. See above.

  • Maintain a logical structure: It’s important for all your subscribers to be able to view your content in a logical order no matter what device they’re using, but it’s especially vital for people who use screen readers. Our templates are designed to be responsive and organized in a logical order.

  • Use appropriate HTML tags to structure your email: Screen readers rely on page elements like tables and headers to determine the informational hierarchy of a web page or HTML email. Make sure your email is easy to scan and navigate through to access the most important information. Use HTML heading tags like <h1> and <h2> to identify important sections of your content; do not rely on style elements like colors or bold text.

  • Use appropriate color contrasts: Make sure you maintain appropriate color contrasts so the content of the email is readable to users with visual impairments.

  • Don’t hide information in images: Screen reader users or users who have images blocked in their email client aren’t going to see information in images or infographics. Make sure the most critical content in your message is presented in text, and if appropriate use images to complement that text.

  • Use Proper Alt Text for Images: Alt text, or alternative text, is a brief description of an image that’s displayed when a subscriber can’t view your images. Alt text should be short but descriptive, and highlight the relevance of the image to your message.

  • Use meaningful link text: Make sure a link text or a button tells your users what they’re clicking on. Avoid vague link text. Do not use “Click Here”; Instead, tell the user what to expect when they click the link (e.g. “Change your password here”).

Last updated August 4, 2023.