Situation
As someone who relies entirely on a screen reader, I struggle to quickly locate a list and move on to the next one because the bulleted lists haven't been structured with the appropriate tools in the writing software, making them difficult to identify and access.
Information
Bulleted lists can be standard (unordered) or numbered (ordered). A standard bulleted list is used to list a number of pieces of information, the order of which is not important.
On the other hand, when the order of the actions cited is important, such as for a recipe where steps must be followed, the numbered list will be used.
Proper use of lists makes your content more accessible to people with visual impairments and easier to read on mobile devices. Furthermore, like any structural element, it also improves SEO.
Our recommendations
Generally, a bulleted list should have at least 3 items. Avoid making it too long (no more than 5 to 7 items).
You should always use the tools provided in the publishing software to correctly design your bulleted or numbered lists.
Never use periods, dashes, numbers, or manually entered icons. They have no semantic value, they do not structure the document, and all characters are read by speech synthesizers.
Explore more!
- Editoile: Writing a bulleted list on a website ;
- W3docs: HTML lists ;
- Ouiscrib: Bulleted lists: highlight your content.
Status
Sent to staff: March 24, 2025