Module 2: Checkpoint 20—Main content

Requirements

Content must be left aligned.

For agency sites, the main content must use dark fonts on a white or light coloured background.

Benefits of conformance

• Increases readability.

Risks of non-conformance

• Justified content will appear differently on different browsers. Having large amounts of whitespace between words makes the content harder to read.
• Screen magnifiers (used by people with visual impairments) will magnify the whitespace as well as the text, which increases the difficulty level.
• Using dark backgrounds decreases readability.

Implementation advice

Examples

Correct implementation: website uses a white background.

Correct implementation: Content box uses a white background, while the website uses a patterned background.

Incorrect implementation: Using a dark background with light text can reduce readability.

Explanation

Languages that read left to right (such as English) must be left aligned. However if a website publishes content in other languages that read right to left (such as Arabic or Farsi), this content must be right aligned.

Refer to checkpoint 33 for more information on other languages.