Content and accessibility guidelines

Welcome to our content and accessibility guidelines page. This resource is designed to help content creators, editors, and web developers produce digital content and documents that are clear, user-friendly, and accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. Following these guidelines ensures that our websites and documents comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 standards, making information perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust for all users.

Here, you'll find best practices on writing in plain English, structuring content logically, using accessible multimedia, and designing inclusive navigation. Our goal is to provide equal access to information and services, ensuring no one is excluded due to barriers related to disability, technology, or language. These guidelines support our commitment to digital inclusion and legal accessibility requirements, empowering everyone to navigate and engage with our digital content confidently and independently.

Content guidelines

• Ensure all content has clear user need and is accurate, relevant, and up to date.
• Use a logical structure with descriptive headings, short paragraphs, and lists for easy scanning.
• Write clearly and concisely, explaining complex terms or acronyms on first use.
• Use consistent tone and terminology throughout the content.
• Avoid duplicating content 

Content design guidelines

• Design content to be accessible and inclusive, following WCAG principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust).
• Use ample white space and visual hierarchy (for example headings, bullet points) to guide the reader’s attention.
• Ensure interactive elements like links and buttons are clearly distinguishable and usable across all devices.
• Provide alt text for images and captions for videos.
• Organise navigation consistently site-wide so users can find key sections easily.

Plain English best practices

• Use simple, familiar, everyday words instead of complex, jargon or technical terms.
• Write concise sentences.
• Use the active voice and direct sentence construction.
• Speak directly to the reader using “you” and avoid unnecessary words.
• Use examples, lists, and clear instructions to aid understanding.
• Avoid double negatives, idioms, and cultural references that may confuse.

Following these combined content, design, and plain English best practices ensures digital content is clear, understandable, accessible, and user-friendly for the widest possible audience.

Key guidelines for accessibility

Text alternatives: All meaningful images, icons, and multimedia require descriptive alt text. For videos and audio files, provide captions and transcripts so users with hearing or vision impairments can access the information.

Clear structure: Organise content using headings and lists in a logical hierarchy (H1, H2, H3). Chunk text with short paragraphs and use descriptive headings so screen reader users can easily navigate and understand the layout.

Language and clarity: Write in plain, unambiguous language. Avoid jargon and complex sentences so content is easily understood by people with cognitive disabilities.

Consistent layout: Keep navigational elements such as menus, sidebars, and footers in the same place across all pages for predictable user experience and orientation.

Colour and contrast: Never rely on colour alone to convey meaning; use symbols or text as well. Ensure strong contrast between foreground text and background (at least 4.5:1 ratio for AA compliance) for clear readability.

Keyboard navigation: Structure interactive elements (such as forms, links, and buttons) so users can access all content and functions using a keyboard only, preventing reliance on a mouse.

Error handling: Offer clear, descriptive error messages and guidance on how to correct mistakes in forms or input fields.

Accessible language: Spell out abbreviations and acronyms in full when you write out the phrase for the first time tit appears.

Clear instructions: Make instructions explicit and ensure form labels are clear and descriptive.

Aaardvark have created a plain English version of the web content accessibility guide to help understanding of the guidelines.

Additional techniques

• Multimedia content should not auto-play; provide user controls to play, pause, or stop audio/video.
• Test content using screen readers and browser accessibility tools before publication, updating and maintaining accessibility regularly.

Creating accessible documents

To ensure documents are accessible and inclusive, you can follow throughout the creation process.

Headings and structure: Use headings to organise content, establishing a clear hierarchy with styles such as heading 1 (H1), heading 2 (H2), and so on. Avoid using bold text for subheadings, always apply style features provided by your document style guide.

Clear structure: Break up documents into short sections using meaningful subheadings and bullet or numbered lists for clarity.

Simple language: Write in plain language, using short and simple sentences to make information easily digestible for readers with cognitive or learning disabilities. Avoid jargon and explain technical terms, abbreviations, or acronyms where required.

Visuals and formatting: Always add alt text for images, diagrams, and charts, describing their purpose and content succinctly. Use accessible font formats and ensure a minimum text size of 12 points for print; larger fonts may be appropriate for some audiences. 

Colour: Maintain high contrast between text and background colours to accommodate users with low vision or colour blindness. Do not use colour alone to convey meaning, be sure information is accessible through text or other indicators.

Links, tables, and layout: Use meaningful hyperlink text, such as the title of the page or description, instead of generic phrases like "click here". Avoid using tables solely for layout. When tables are needed for data, keep their structure simple and use proper headers. Separate paragraphs with at least one line of space, and consider wider line spacing for readability.

Document properties and formats: Fill in document properties such as title, author, and keywords to aid in navigation and search. Whenever possible, publish documents in HTML format, as it is the most accessible for assistive technologies. Run an accessibility checker within your editing software to identify common issues before publishing.

Forms and PDFs: If creating forms, use HTML when possible. If using PDF or Word formats, apply the same accessibility best practices. Only use PDF as a last resort, and always provide an accessible version (such as HTML or OpenDocument) for users who need to edit or interact with the content.

If you need more advice and guidance about document accessibility, we offer training and advice, contact the Website team for more information.

These practices ensure users can consume digital content independently, regardless of disability or device, and meet essential legal standards for public sector websites.