Shopify accessibility: the common errors and where to fix them
Every Shopify site we scan shares the same handful of failures. Here is each one: what it is, who it leaves out, and where in Shopify it is fixed. Where it says "theme", that is code, and the corrected HTML is what your developer needs.
1. Images without a description
Fixed in the editor, no codeA blind visitor's screen reader says "image" and nothing else. If the image is a product, a promo or a button, they simply don't know what it is.
blind people (screen readers)
Where in Shopify
No developer needed: Products → product → click the image → "Add alt text". For theme images: Online Store → Themes → Customize → click the image section → Alt text.2. Text that is hard to read
Fixed in the editor, no codeSome text is too light against its background. People with low vision, older customers, and anyone on a phone in sunlight can't read it. This is the most common finding in accessibility lawsuits.
people with low vision · mobile users
Where in Shopify
Online Store → Themes → Customize → Theme settings → Colors: pick a darker text colour for that section.3. Links that don't say where they go
Fixed in the editor, no codeLinks like "click here" or an image with no text are read as "link". Screen-reader users navigate by jumping between links, so these are dead ends.
blind people (screen readers)
Where in Shopify
Online Store → Navigation → edit the menu item text. For icon links, the theme needs a label (code below).4. Form fields without a label
Fixed in the editor, no codeIn your forms (checkout, contact, login) some fields don't say what goes in them. A blind customer hears "edit text" and can't complete the purchase.
blind people (screen readers) · people with cognitive disabilities
Where in Shopify
Contact form labels come from the theme: Customize → Contact form section, or code below.5. The page doesn't declare its language
Fixed in the editor, no codeScreen readers guess the language and read Spanish with an English voice (or vice versa): unintelligible.
blind people (screen readers)
Where in Shopify
Settings → Languages → make sure the default language matches your store's content.6. The page has no title
Fixed in the editor, no codeThe browser tab is blank and screen readers can't say which page is open. Also hurts Google.
blind people (screen readers) · people with cognitive disabilities
Where in Shopify
Online Store → Preferences → Homepage title; per product/page: scroll to "Search engine listing" → Edit → Page title.7. Headings out of order
Fixed in the editor, no codeTitles skip levels (like a document going from chapter 1 to section 1.1.1). The page's outline stops making sense to screen readers.
blind people (screen readers) · people with cognitive disabilities
Where in Shopify
Online Store → Themes → Customize → each section has a "Heading size/level" option in most themes.8. Buttons too small to tap
Needs the theme (code)Some buttons or links are smaller than a fingertip. Older customers and people with tremors miss them.
people who can't use a mouse · mobile users
Where in Shopify
In Shopify this is in the theme code: Online Store → Themes → ⋯ → Edit code. Send the code below to your theme developer, or use the Theme Editor if the setting exists.9. Videos without captions
Fixed in the editor, no codeDeaf customers get nothing from your videos.
deaf people
Where in Shopify
Upload the video with captions to YouTube/Vimeo and embed it, or add a .vtt file in Content → Files and reference it in the theme.10. Zoom is blocked on phones
Needs the theme (code)Your site forbids pinch-to-zoom. Anyone who needs bigger text can't get it.
people with low vision · mobile users
Where in Shopify
In Shopify this is in the theme code: Online Store → Themes → ⋯ → Edit code. Send the code below to your theme developer, or use the Theme Editor if the setting exists.11. Buttons with no name
Needs the theme (code)Icon-only buttons (menu, cart, close) are read as just "button". A blind customer can't tell the cart from the close button.
blind people (screen readers) · people who can't use a mouse
Where in Shopify
In Shopify this is in the theme code: Online Store → Themes → ⋯ → Edit code. Send the code below to your theme developer, or use the Theme Editor if the setting exists.12. The page has no main heading
Needs the theme (code)Blind users navigate by headings; without a main one the page has no starting point.
blind people (screen readers) · people with cognitive disabilities
Where in Shopify
In Shopify this is in the theme code: Online Store → Themes → ⋯ → Edit code. Send the code below to your theme developer, or use the Theme Editor if the setting exists.
Questions people ask
- Is Shopify accessible out of the box?
- The platform itself follows the guidelines reasonably well; the failures come from the theme, the apps or plugins, and the content (photos uploaded without a description). A scan of your own site says which.
- Do I need a developer to fix accessibility on Shopify?
- Not for most of it: alt text, page titles, headings, link text, colours and form labels are settings. Menus that ignore the keyboard, pop-ups that trap focus and unnamed icon links live in the theme; for those you need the corrected code.
- Does an accessibility app or widget fix Shopify?
- No. A widget changes what the visitor sees in the browser; the theme and the photos stay as they were, and lawsuits cite the code.