Website Accessibility Best Practices for eCommerce Sites

Key Takeaways:

Learn why website accessibility is crucial for your eCommerce business, not just a legal requirement.

Understand the impact of accessibility on your customer experience and conversions.

Gain actionable insights to improve accessibility with simple, strategic changes.

Imagine a customer browsing your online store on their mobile device. They’re trying to filter through products, but the buttons are too small to tap, or worse—they can’t even access the product descriptions because the text is too faint. They want to complete their purchase, but your checkout process is unintuitive and inaccessible without a mouse.

This scenario isn’t hypothetical. It’s a reality many eCommerce businesses face when they overlook website accessibility. According to WebAIM Million, users with disabilities encounter barriers on 1 in every 24 web page elements.

“Accessibility for eCommerce sites isn’t just about compliance. It’s about making sure that everyone, including customers with disabilities, can navigate your site and make purchases without frustration. So, think of it as a growth opportunity.”

– Technology Therapy® Group

Some Misconceptions About Website Accessibility

Accessibility for eCommerce sites isn’t just about compliance. It’s about making sure that everyone, including customers with disabilities, can navigate your site and make purchases without frustration. When you improve accessibility, you reduce friction, which ultimately leads to more conversions.

In other words, don’t think of it as “just a legal obligation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).” Instead, view website accessibility as a growth opportunity. When your eCommerce site is free of accessibility barriers, it creates a better, more inclusive shopping experience for all customers.

What Website Accessibility Means for eCommerce

Website accessibility means ensuring that your eCommerce site is usable by everyone, including people with disabilities. This involves making your site navigable for those with visual impairments, hearing loss, or motor disabilities.

For example, imagine a visually impaired customer trying to complete a checkout process using a screen reader. If the website lacks clear labels for form fields or if error messages aren’t properly announced, the customer won’t be able to complete their purchase. Per research from the Web Standards Commission org, inaccessible eCommerce sites have 23% higher cart abandonment rated.

On the flip side, if your website is accessible, it will reduce barriers to purchase, improve the customer experience, and boost customer loyalty. Accessibility is an essential part of providing a positive shopping experience.

Understanding WCAG 2.1 AA Guidelines for eCommerce

For eCommerce businesses, adhering to WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines is a must. These guidelines outline how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities, and they’ve become the industry standard. You don’t need to be an accessibility expert, but following WCAG 2.1 AA is a great starting point for improving accessibility across your eCommerce site.

Common Accessibility Issues on eCommerce Websites

According to WebAIM’s 2026 report, 96% of accessibility errors on home pages are from six key areas.These issues often go unnoticed but can severely impact the shopping experience for customers with disabilities, leading to abandoned carts and lost sales. Here are the most common accessibility issues found on eCommerce sites, which are very easy fixes:

• Low Contrast Text
  Light gray text on a white background or thin fonts on banners make it hard for people with low vision to read.
• Missing Alt Text for Images
  Screen readers rely on alt text to describe images. Without it, customers can’t access important product information.
• Missing Form Labels
  Unlabeled fields in checkout, contact forms, or sign-ups prevent customers from completing their purchase.
• Empty Links
  “Click here” links without context confuse screen readers and customers alike.
• Empty Buttons
  Icon-only buttons without text labels leave users wondering what they do.
• Missing Document Language
  Not specifying the language of the page causes issues for non-native speakers and screen reader users.

How Accessibility Issues Hurt eCommerce Sales

Certain accessibility issues directly impact eCommerce sales. For instance, if your checkout process is inaccessible, customers will abandon their carts. This is a common issue for businesses with low traffic, where even small amounts of friction can significantly affect conversion rates.

Checkout & Cart Accessibility Problems

These issues frustrate customers and often lead to abandoned carts, costing you sales:

• Checkout fields that don’t work with keyboard navigation
• Error messages that don’t explain what’s wrong
• Shipping or pricing updates that aren’t announced to screen reader users

Product Filters & Search Tools

Shoppers rely heavily on filters to narrow product options quickly. When filters aren’t accessible, customers struggle to find what they need and often leave without purchasing. Here are some faux pas to avoid with your product filters and search tools:

• “Pickup only” filters that aren’t keyboard accessible
• Vague filter labels that confuse users
• Difficult mobile filtering experiences

Navigation & Site Structure

These problems impact the overall browsing experience, particularly for customers shopping for specific product types or those with limited mobility:

• Missing headings that make it hard to navigate
• Confusing or cluttered menus
• Buttons that don’t clearly indicate where they go

“Many accessibility best practices are also conversion rate optimization best practices.”

– Technology Therapy® Group

Simple Accessibility Improvements That Boost UX

The great news is that many accessibility improvements also enhance the experience for all users. Good UX and accessibility often overlap. (And this, in turn, boosts your business’s ROI.) Here are some simple ways to make your site more accessible, as well as the ROI for each step:

• Clearer navigation helps all shoppers
• Better contrast improves readability outdoors, especially on mobile
• Cleaner forms reduce checkout abandonment
• Better structure improves SEO and GEO
• Descriptive buttons improve usability

A Simple Accessibility Checklist for Your eCommerce Site

Here’s an actionable checklist for improving accessibility on your eCommerce site:

Tools to Evaluate Website Accessibility

Here at TTG, we recommend a handful of free and paid tools to help make your site’s accessibility makeover more doable. (Note: Please keep in mind that, while automated tools are helpful, human testing is still vital for identifying nuanced issues.)

Accessibility Is an Ongoing Effort

Website accessibility isn’t a one-time task. It’s an ongoing process that should evolve as your eCommerce site grows.

An accessible website improves the shopping experience, builds customer trust, and reduces friction. And the best part? Many accessibility improvements benefit all users, not just those with disabilities.

Small improvements can make a big difference.

*DISCLOSURE: Links included in this article might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that we provide, TTG may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you!