Making Your Website Accessible: When Not to Use Tables and What to Use Instead[ 6 min read ]

When building or updating a website, it’s tempting to use tables to organise content into neat rows and columns – we’re all used to the layout of spreadsheets so tables seem the obvious answer. They look tidy and seem like an easy way to display things like contact details, staff lists, or services.

But there’s a catch: using tables in the wrong way can actually make your website harder to use – especially for people with disabilities. It can also cause problems for people using phones or tablets, or who need to zoom in to read small text.

In this post, we’ll explain why tables aren’t always a good idea, how they can make your site less accessible, and what you can use instead.

What Is Accessibility?

Accessibility means making your website usable by everyone—including people who are blind, deaf, have limited movement, or learning differences. It’s also helpful for people who use phones, need bigger text, or prefer using a keyboard instead of a mouse.

If your website is accessible, more people can use it easily—and that’s good for your visitors, your reputation, and even your search engine rankings.

Read more about website accessibility here.

Why Tables Can Be a Problem

Tables were designed for showing numbers and data – like a timetable, a list of prices, or a sports scoreboard. When used this way, they can work well. But many websites use tables just to lay out content because it looks neat…in fact in the earlier days of websites, whole pages were made of tables!

But, that’s where the problems start.

Here’s why tables can be bad for accessibility:

• They don’t work well on small screens. Tables often don’t fit on mobile phones, which means people have to scroll left and right just to read the information. That’s frustrating.
• They’re hard to zoom in on. People with poor eyesight may zoom in to make the text bigger. But tables can break when zoomed, making the layout messy or unreadable.
• They’re confusing for screen readers. Screen readers help blind users by reading out loud what’s on the screen. But tables can be tricky to read out properly—especially if they’re not used correctly.
• They’re difficult to navigate using a keyboard. Some people can’t use a mouse and rely on their keyboard to move around. Tables can make it slow and clunky to get to the information they want.

Ask Yourself: Is This Really a Table?

If you’re not sure whether you should use a table, ask this question:

“Is this simple information like a spreadsheet or chart for facts, figures, statistics, where people need to compare/analyse rows and columns?”

If the answer is yes – like if you’re showing prices, opening hours, or results – then a table might be the right choice but there are alternatives….especially if you’re struggling to make it readable on a small screen.

If the answer is no – like if you’re listing staff members, describing services, or sharing FAQs – there are better options.

What to Use Instead

Here are some simple, accessible ways to show your information without using tables.

1. Use a List
   If you’re just showing a list of items – like services you offer, or what’s included in a package – a simple bullet or numbered list works great.

Example

Our Services:

• website design
• website maintenance
• website development
• website help.

It’s easy to read, works well on phones, and screen readers love it.

2. Use a Description List
   This is a great way to show key information – like a person’s name and their job title, or a service and its price. Some website builders have a coded version of this function built in, but most don’t. It’s easy enough to format instead if you’re not able to code it in html yourself.

Example

Staff Team:

John Lennon: Rhythm guitar

Paul McCartney: Bass guitar

George Harrison: Lead guitar

Ringo Starr: Drums

You can style this to look nice, but under the hood, it’s much more accessible than a table.

The html code would actually look like this:

<dl>
  <dt>John Lennon</dt>
    <dd>Rhythm guitar</dd>
    <dd>Harmonica</dd>
  <dt>Paul McCartney</dt>
    <dd>Bass guitar</dd>
  <dt>George Harrison</dt>
    <dd>Lead guitar</dd>
  <dt>Ringo Starr</dt>
    <dd>Drums</dd>
</dl>

The coded version does have extra benefit:

Mobile users

• List-based layouts adapt fluidly; users avoid horizontal scroll traps.
• You gain effortless reflow and improved readability.

Screen reader benefit

• <dl> enables direct term–definition reading, easy navigation.
• <ul><li> patterns allow linear reading – smooth for JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver (screenreader types).

Keyboard navigation

• Skip from heading to list without dense cell-by-cell tabbing.
• Less cognitive load = faster and clearer interaction.
  

3. Use Cards or Boxes
   If you have several pieces of information that repeat in the same way – like profiles for each staff member or service – you can use a series of boxes (often called “cards”). Each one can have a name, description, and contact link, and they’ll stack nicely on mobile.

Example

🧑 Sarah
Volunteer Co‑ordinator
Supports and trains volunteers.

🧑 David
Fundraising Officer
Leads community campaigns.

Each box can be clicked or tapped, and it looks great on all screen sizes. Again, a lot of builders have ‘cards’ already built in so you just need to select the widget and enter your information. If yours doesn’t, any repeatable clear content format will work.

Why This Matters for Your Charity or Small Business

Using more accessible layouts means:

• More people can use your site. That includes older visitors, people with disabilities, and people on phones or tablets.
• Your site is easier to maintain. You don’t need to fight with tricky tables to make everything line up, phew!
• It helps with SEO and reputation. Accessible websites perform better in search engines and are more likely to be recommended or linked to.
• It’s future‑proof. As websites get used in more ways (smartphones, voice assistants, etc.), using the right structure helps your content adapt.

Want Help Making Your Website More Accessible?

Join the community of accessible UK site owners – where every user, regardless of device or ability, truly matters. If you’re a micro business or charity in the UK and want to make sure your website is friendly, inclusive, and easy to use, I can help.

From small changes to full redesigns, I’ll help you create a site that works better for everyone.

Or, if you want to try implementing some steps yourself, read this blog: 10 Simple Steps to Improving Website Accessibility