Why accessibility matters for an online store

More than 1 in 4 U.S. adults have some type of disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Many shop with a screen reader, a keyboard, zoom or voice control, and a store that doesn't work with those tools loses the sale.

Most sites still miss the basics. In WebAIM's 2026 review of the top one million home pages, 95.9% had failures that automated testing can detect, an average of 56 per page. Low-contrast text, missing image descriptions and unlabeled form fields lead the list.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is why many brands start asking. The work itself is about shoppers: an accessible store is easier for everyone to use, on any device.

What an audit covers

  • Design

    Text and buttons with enough contrast, focus you can see, and links and buttons big enough to tap. Nothing depends on color alone.

  • Code

    Real headings and landmarks, labeled form fields, and every menu, filter, drawer and popup usable from the keyboard, with focus that moves sensibly as they open and close.

  • Content

    Headings in order, image descriptions that say something, link text that says where it goes, and captions for video.

  • Mobile

    Pages that still work at 200% zoom, fit a small screen without sideways scrolling, and respond to touch and a phone's screen reader.

How we test

Automated scanners are a good start, but they miss what only a person can find: a menu you can't close with the keyboard, a button with no name, which a screen reader announces only as "button", a popup that won't let focus out.

  • Keyboard only: every key page, menu, filter, drawer and form, without a mouse.
  • Screen readers: NVDA on Windows, and VoiceOver on Mac and iPhone.
  • Zoom and small screens: 200% zoom and narrow phone widths.
  • Automated checks: scans of every key template, to catch problems that repeat across the store.

Every finding names the WCAG criterion it fails, where it happens and how to fix it.

About accessibility widgets: overlay widgets add a toolbar on top of a store, but they don't change the theme code underneath, and that is where the problems are. We fix the code.

Accessibility audits start at $2,500

An audit covers the pages your shoppers use most: home, collection, product, cart, search, account and a content page, plus the header, menus and footer that appear everywhere. You get a report with each issue ranked by impact and an estimate to fix it, so you see the whole cost before you commit.

  • The fee counts toward your project. Book fixes, a redesign or any other project within 60 days, and the $2,500 is credited toward it.
  • Any theme. We audit and fix stores we didn't build, on stock and custom themes.
  • Checkout is Shopify's. Shopify builds and maintains checkout, so the audit covers your storefront theme.
  • Built in from the start. Every store we build or redesign is tested against WCAG 2.2 AA before launch.
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Accessible stores are easier for AI to read

The structure screen readers rely on is what AI assistants and search engines read too: real headings, descriptive image text, labeled buttons and fields, and clean HTML. A product page a screen reader can make sense of is one an AI assistant can make sense of too.

See how we do this on our AI search optimization page.

Frequently asked questions

What does ADA compliance mean for an online store?

The Americans with Disabilities Act is a civil rights law that bars discrimination against people with disabilities. For private businesses it doesn't name a technical standard for websites, so accessibility work is measured against WCAG, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. For an online store, that means shoppers can browse, choose and buy with a keyboard, a screen reader, zoom or voice control.

What is WCAG 2.2 AA?

WCAG 2.2 is the current version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, published by the W3C in 2023. Level AA is the level most organizations aim for. It covers contrast, keyboard access, labels, headings, focus and more.

Is an accessibility widget or overlay enough?

No. An overlay adds a toolbar on top of the store, but the problems are in the theme code underneath: missing labels, keyboard traps, headings out of order. Fixing the code is what makes the store work with the tools shoppers already use.

How long does an audit take?

Most audits take one to two weeks from kickoff to report, depending on how many templates and apps the store uses.

What does an audit cost?

Audits start at $2,500. Stores with more custom templates or apps take longer, and the quote says so before we start. If you book fixes, a redesign or another project within 60 days, the audit fee is credited toward it.

Can you fix a theme you didn't build?

Yes. Many audits are on stores someone else built. We fix the theme on a copy first and test each fix before it goes live.

Will this protect my store from lawsuits?

No one can promise that. What we can do is find and fix the barriers that keep shoppers from using your store, and give you a clear record of the work. For legal questions, talk to a lawyer.

Start with a 30-minute call

Tell us about your store, and we'll tell you what an audit would cover and what it would cost. Booking is through Google Calendar.

More reading: The importance of ADA compliance for your website and our case studies.

We're developers, not lawyers. Nothing on this page is legal advice.

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