5 ways to make your content writing more accessible
You’re trying to read an article, but it’s an obstacle course.
A flashing pop-up demands your email before you’ve even had a chance to scroll. A video ad blasts in the background with no warning and no easy way to silence it. The page shifts just as you go to click, sending you on an unwanted detour to a dodgy-looking sales funnel.
Frustrating? Absolutely.
Now imagine that this is how it feels every time you open an app, or go online. Not because of pop-ups or ads, but because the content itself is a barrier - dense, unstructured, visually overwhelming, or just impossible to read.
For millions of people, the online world is full of these roadblocks. Whether it’s due to dyslexia, ADHD, vision impairments, cognitive processing differences, or simply how their brain works, much of what’s published online is needlessly difficult to navigate.
Accessibility isn’t an optional extra. It’s basic good manners.
If your content is hard to read, you’re not just making life difficult for your audience - you’re also making it harder for them to engage with your business. The easier something is to read, the more likely people are to stick around, understand what you’re saying, and take action.
So, here’s how to do it.
1. Break up your text (before it breaks your reader)
Reading shouldn’t feel like a test of endurance.
Long paragraphs, tiny fonts, and dense walls of text make information harder to process. People with dyslexia, ADHD, or cognitive difficulties might struggle to track where they are on the page.
Even those without accessibility needs will likely skim and move on quickly if something looks overwhelming.
Shorter paragraphs, clear headings, and bullet points all help. They don’t just make content easier to read - they make it easier to absorb.
And while this is just about making content more user-friendly, it’s also something search engines reward. Google favours well-structured, easy-to-read content, meaning making things clearer can also improve your rankings.
2. Typography matters more than you think
You might have seen a brand designer agonise over font choices and wondered to yourself, “Surely it can’t matter that much?”
Well it does. Some fonts are just bad news.
Overly decorative scripts, tiny text, justified paragraphs that leave weird spacing between words - these all make content harder to read. You might think it looks pretty to have a font that looks like you dipped a quill yourself, but if used unsparingly that choice you made for a ‘personal’ touch is going to block connection rather than build it.
Stick to clear, simple fonts, and make sure your font size isn’t making people squint. 16px is the minimum for body text. Anything smaller is just an eye test.
And don’t underestimate line spacing and alignment. Left-aligned text is much easier to follow than centred or justified text, which can create uneven gaps that throw off readability.
None of this is about “playing it safe” with design. It’s just about making sure people can actually read what you’ve written.
3. Plain English is good writing
Complicated sentences don’t make you sound smart. They make you hard to understand.
Corporate jargon, long-winded explanations, and unnecessarily complex words all act as barriers. If you want people to read your content, be clear about what you’re saying.
That doesn’t mean stripping out all personality. It just means keeping things concise, natural, and easy to follow.
The easier something is to read, the more likely people are to stick with it - and take action.
4. If an image adds meaning, it needs alt text
If your content includes images, GIFs, or infographics, they need to be accessible to everyone.
Screen readers rely on alt text (a written description of the image) to explain visuals to people who are blind or have low vision. Without it, they just get a vague “image” announcement - zero context, zero meaning.
Good alt text describes the image in a useful way:
Bad: “Screenshot of website”
Good: “A website homepage featuring a bold header that says ‘We Write Words So You Don’t Have To.’”
It takes seconds to add, but makes a world of difference for people who rely on it.
And while the priority is making content more inclusive, adding well-optimised alt text can also help your images appear in search results - a bonus, but not the main reason to do it.
5. Colour contrast can make or break readability
You can be the world’s greatest writer, but if your colours are off, so is your content.
You’ve probably seen websites with pale grey text on a white background, or light yellow on beige. They look modern. Minimalist. They’re also a nightmare to read.
For people with visual impairments or colour blindness, bad contrast can make text completely unreadable.
The fix? Strong contrast between text and background. Black on white, dark blue on pale yellow - anything that makes the words stand out clearly.
And let’s be honest, even for fully sighted people, no one enjoys straining to read washed-out text.
Good manners = Good business
Making your content accessible isn’t about ticking boxes - it’s about removing barriers so people can actually engage with what you have to say.
When your content is easy to read, more people stay on your page instead of giving up and leaving. More people connect with your message. And yes, search engines favour content that’s clear and well-structured (but that’s just a side effect of doing the right thing).
Accessibility is about people, and if a few simple changes mean your content reaches more of them, it’s worth doing.
If you’re not sure whether your content is as accessible as it could be, I can help.
My content review services will give you clear, actionable feedback on how to make your writing more accessible and easier to engage with, without losing the personality that makes it yours. Learn more about my content reviews here.
