WCAG-compliant email signature – how to ensure digital accessibility?
July 1, 2025
A well-designed email signature should not only be aesthetically pleasing, consistent with the company's visual identity and functional, but also compliant with WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). Thanks to serverside solutions such as those available in gSignature, organizations have full control over the structure of signatures – both internal and external – which makes it much easier to adapt them to accessibility standards.
Why is WCAG also important in email signatures?
WCAG guidelines are an international standard that makes digital content easier to use for people with disabilities. This includes people who are blind, visually impaired, have mobility limitations, or are neurodivergent.
In practice, this means that HTML email signatures should also be designed in such a way that they are legible, understandable, and readable by screen readers. Failure to follow these rules may result in the exclusion of some recipients, including customers and colleagues.
WCAG and internal and external communication – different needs, one rule
Thanks to serverside solutions, separate signature templates can be created:
- internal – simplified but fully visually accessible, with key data (e.g., name, department, shortcuts to company tools),
- external – full branded signatures with graphics and CTAs, prepared in accordance with WCAG guidelines.
The administrator can remotely assign the appropriate template depending on the type of recipient, which eliminates end-user errors and facilitates large-scale accessibility.
How to create a WCAG-compliant email signature?
1. HTML structure and semantics
When using tools such as an email signature generator, make sure the HTML code is structured correctly. Avoid using <table> for everything and use semantic tags such as <p>, <ul>, <a> instead – this improves the performance of screen readers.
2. Color contrast
WCAG specifies the minimum contrast between text and background (e.g., 4.5:1 for main text). Logos, CTAs, and contact details in the signature must be easy to read, regardless of whether they are displayed on a high-contrast screen or by people with visual impairments.
3. Alternative text for images
Every image (e.g., logos, social media icons) in an HTML email signature should have an alt attribute. This is not only a matter of accessibility, but also good SEO practice.
4. Predictable navigation and layout
The signature should be logically arranged: from name and surname, through position, to links and company details. People using screen readers will be able to predict the structure of the signature and easily find the information they need.
5. Responsiveness and scaling
The signature must look good on different devices, but also allow the text to be enlarged without losing its layout. By using inline styles and relative units (e.g., em, rem), you can achieve compliance with WCAG 2.1 requirements.
Example: accessible but branded signature
Imagine a company that conducts international recruitment. In external communications, each message ends with a professional signature with a logo, name, and a “Check job offers” button. Thanks to the use of alternative text (alt) for graphics and appropriate contrast for the CTA button, everyone, regardless of limitations, can fully benefit from the content of the email.
At the same time, in internal communications, employees receive a signature containing shortcuts to HR platforms and a link to the accessibility policy. Everything is WCAG-compliant and managed from a single system.
Automation as the key to accessibility
Implementing accessible signatures manually in every mailbox is a daunting task. This is where serverside solutions come in handy – once a template has been prepared, it can be assigned to hundreds of users, divided into departments, locations or functions.
Thanks to integrations with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, WCAG-compliant email signatures can be implemented without involving IT departments and without worrying about inconsistencies across different departments of the organization.
If you are interested in technical details, please visit our documentation and knowledge base, where we describe, among other things, how to adapt signatures to digital accessibility policies.
Accessibility is not an option – it's a standard
Ensuring digital accessibility in email signatures is not only an expression of corporate social responsibility, but also an element of professionalism and compliance with regulations (e.g., the Public Sector Accessibility Act). Thanks to serverside technology, this can be achieved easily, quickly, and fully automatically.
Remember – your email signature is often the last thing the recipient of your message sees. Make sure it is accessible to everyone.