Shopify accessibility checklist, mapped to WCAG 2.1 AA

Updated 22 July 2026 · Hewnpath

This is the working checklist we built HewnScan around: the failures that actually show up on Shopify storefronts, mapped to the WCAG 2.1 criteria that the European Accessibility Act points to through EN 301 549. Work top to bottom; the first items carry the most legal and practical weight. If you want the background on the law itself, start with the EAA guide for Shopify stores.

Images and media

Every product image has real alt text (WCAG 1.1.1). A filename like IMG_2041.jpg read aloud is what a blind shopper hears instead of your product. In Shopify: Products, Media, edit alt text.
Decorative images have empty alt, not a description, so screen readers skip them.

Colour and text

Text contrast is at least 4.5:1 against its background (WCAG 1.4.3). Muted grey on white, the default of half the themes out there, often fails. Fix in the theme editor colour settings.
Text survives 200% zoom without loss (WCAG 1.4.4). Avoid fixed pixel heights on text containers.

Structure

One h1 per page and headings in order (WCAG 1.3.1, 2.4.6). Sections that jump from h1 to h4 for visual size confuse assistive tech; set the size in CSS, not by picking a smaller heading level.
The page declares its language (WCAG 3.1.1), so screen readers pick the right voice. Shopify themes set this from the store language.

Links, buttons and forms

Every link and button has an accessible name (WCAG 2.4.4, 4.1.2). Icon-only buttons, cart icons and social icons need a label.
Every input has a label (WCAG 3.3.2). Placeholder text is not a label: it disappears the moment someone types.

Keyboard

Everything works without a mouse (WCAG 2.1.1): menus, variant pickers, image galleries, popup close buttons.
Focus is visible (WCAG 2.4.7). Themes that remove focus outlines for aesthetics fail shoppers who navigate by keyboard.

The item most checklists skip: app-injected markup

Review stars, popups, cookie banners, chat bubbles and bundles are injected into your storefront by installed apps, and they fail the same criteria above. You will not find their markup in your theme code, but shoppers and market surveillance authorities meet it on your page. Here is how to find and handle it.

Checking all of this by hand takes an afternoon and goes stale on the next theme edit. HewnScan runs 26 deterministic checks in about a minute, scores your storefront 0 to 100, and tells you exactly what to fix and where. The first scan is free.

Run the checklist automatically

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to check every page of my store?

Shoppers are judged on the home page, collection pages, product pages and the cart. Those templates cover most of the markup, so auditing them covers most of the risk. Checkout on Shopify is largely controlled by Shopify itself.

Will an accessible theme keep me compliant on its own?

No. Themes ship accessible and then drift: custom sections, colour changes and installed apps all inject new markup. Accessibility is a property of your storefront today, not of the theme you bought.

How often should I re-check?

After every theme edit and every app install, and on a schedule otherwise. Weekly automated re-scans catch regressions before shoppers or authorities do.