Accessible Hashtags

I am relatively new to the world of digital accessibility. I wish I wasn't and I really have no excuse, especially as a marketing professional. I've recently completed a couple of certification courses to be better versed in WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) 2.0 and 2.1 along with best practices. There's a lot more for me to learn here and even more work to do in order to catch up on my own content, website, and social channels. But I'm excited to share some quick and easy takeaways that anyone can start implementing immediately. Whether you're an individual or brand.

So let's talk hashtags. Did you know that using camel case (each word starts with a capitalized letter) makes hashtags more accessible? That's because screen readers can read them more accurately, with each word being read separately. It's the difference between violetsareblue, which a screen reader would read as one jumbled word, and VioletsAreBlue, which a screen reader will read as three separate words. If you don't believe me, listen to this great example of how a screen reader reads out a camel case hashtag versus a lower case hashtag. This is such an easy tweak to something you're already doing, so there's really no reason not to do it.

Remember, accessibility is about people! And accessible practices benefit everyone. It's important to keep that in mind when creating your digital content.