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Here's a reader question about accessibility, from Brooke, as answered by Helen Hulskamp, Director of Ecommerce on our team:
Q: Is there a way for me to know for sure if my website is ADA compliant? |
A: There are three levels of accessibility checking, ranging from quick and free to very thorough.
1. Quick spot checks with WAVE (free)
WAVE is a free Chrome extension from WebAIM, a nonprofit accessibility organization. Once you install it, you can go to any page on your site, click the extension, and it highlights issues like low color contrast, missing alt text, and missing behind-the-scenes labels that screen readers and other assistive devices rely on. It’s helpful for quick spot-checks of key pages like your homepage, a collection page, and a product page. It does not check your site as a whole or help you identify patterns that recur across many pages.
2. Full-site scan using software
For the brands we work with on retainer, we run a monthly or quarterly scan using a paid software suite from PowerMapper. We also run this scan when we build a new site. This software crawls every page on your site and produces an in-depth report. The reports may seem daunting, but often thousands of recurring issues can be knocked out by one code update. The report is organized in a way that helps you prioritize the most frequently occurring issues.
3. A specialized accessibility audit
The most thorough option is hiring an agency that specializes in accessibility audits. Beyond automated scanning, agencies like Accessibility.Works (our recommendation) have real people navigate your site using assistive devices like screen readers. This catches issues that can’t be found by software alone. Let us know if you would like an introduction.
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Whichever route you choose, we recommend adding an accessibility statement to your site. It lets visitors know you’re actively working on accessibility and how to contact you in case of issues. It is possible that this statement can also head off lawsuits by showing that you won’t be an easy target, but that is something you should verify with a lawyer. Adding an accessibility statement is another thing we support merchants with during an ongoing retainer.
One note about all this: no Shopify site is 100% compliant. Some issues come from third-party apps or the way the platform works. Usually when we work through one of those long accessibility reports, there are a few issues that can’t be resolved. However, it is good to address all issues that can be addressed. Even though these frivolous lawsuits are a rampant problem, accessibility is important and makes your site easier to use for shoppers of all abilities.
Question: Answered
Our team includes experts in branding, design, development, email & SMS/text marketing, search engine optimization, copywriting, conversion optimization, ecommerce strategy, business growth, and more. Have a question for us? Email back, and I'll consult one of our experts and share one weekly response over email.
