Just as you would install a wheelchair ramp to accommodate physical shoppers, you must ensure your digital storefront welcomes everyone. Have you evaluated how user-friendly your site is for visitors with disabilities?
Business leaders are responsible for ensuring digital accessibility, and maintaining an inclusive site is a vital component of a strong e-commerce marketing strategy. But it’s more than just a business consideration. Ensuring your website is truly usable by all is not just good practice — it’s the right thing to do.
What is an accessible website?
An accessible website is one that can be fully used by anyone, including individuals who are deaf or blind or who navigate by voice, as well as anyone with a speech, visual, auditory, cognitive or physical disability.
This may seem complex, but following a clear framework can help you build and test an accessible website step by step. Bear in mind the four principles of accessibility when designing your website and testing user experience: perceivable, operable, understandable and robust.
- Perceivable: People should be able to perceive your content and interface elements, whether they’re using sight, sound or assistive technology. This means your text, images and layout cannot be invisible to all of their senses. You should also consider how color works on your website. Colors should be contrasted enough that they are not hard to see. Avoid directing users to interact with specific colors on your site, since people with color vision differences may not be able to recognize certain hues.
- Operable: Navigation and user interface components must be operable. In other words, people should be able to use your site even if they can’t use a mouse. All elements of your site should work with keyboards, voice dictation and other alternative ways of navigating a page, so no one gets stuck at checkout or in your product catalog.
- Understandable: Information and the operation of the user interface must be understandable. Put simply, people should be able to easily understand your content and how to use your site. Users must be able to comprehend the information and navigate the interface, whether they are using a mouse or assistive technology.
- Robust: Content must be robust (meaning it should work reliably across different technologies) so it can be interpreted by assistive tools and other software used to access the web. In practice, your site should work reliably across devices, browsers and accessibility tools, both now and as technology changes.
Examples of accessible website alterations
Here are two examples of how your e-commerce site could be altered to better accommodate people with disabilities:
- Resizing, respacing or recoloring text and graphics to support people with vision impairments
- Providing a button that pauses animations and flashing designs so the page is more accessible for people with seizure disorders, including epilepsy
You don’t have to make these changes on your own. There are many affordable tools that can help you create an accessible e-commerce website, including AI-powered accessibility features built into some platforms. You can also hire a web design agency to build an accessible website, although that can be challenging because not all firms understand what website accessibility is or how a site’s website design must be created and maintained to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Use one of the
best website builders to design a website with accessibility in mind. Many offer tools that make it easier to create an accessible website.
How do you create an accessible e-commerce website?
If you decide to create an accessible e-commerce website yourself, you can do it effectively if you have the right information and know-how. The following tips will help you get started as you build or refine your online store.
1. Start with visual and hearing considerations.
There are many types of disabilities. While accessibility for everyone is the goal, prioritizing common barriers is a practical starting point. For many online stores, that means starting with visual and hearing accessibility.
Begin with these steps:
- Make sure your site’s text can be accessed by people who are blind or have low vision.
- Ensure your e-commerce store is compatible with screen readers so text can be read aloud to someone who may otherwise use Braille.
- Include text transcripts for videos and other visual content so users have another way to understand information they can’t see.
One simple adjustment that can make a big difference is clearly defining your website's language (for example, English or Spanish). Some people use screen readers to access the internet, and identifying the language helps these tools read your content more accurately.
2. Focus on the finer details of website accessibility.
When building your e-commerce site with accessibility in mind, you’ll need to think about usability, appearance, presentation and user control. For a breakdown of the latest guidelines, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) provide the international standard for web accessibility. The most current technical guidance is in version 2.2, updated in December 2024.
Here’s what that means in practice:
Usability
Users should be able to navigate your site and complete tasks in more than one way. For example, someone with limited mobility might use eye-tracking software instead of a mouse and may rely on an on-screen keyboard to fill out a form. A physical keyboard should not be the only way to input information.
You should also include a search field so users can quickly find what they need, along with predictable navigation menus or a site map that clearly shows where information is located.
Appearance
Users should be able to zoom in on content and increase text size to at least 200 percent without losing readability. Links should be clearly identifiable, and it helps to indicate where a link will take the user. Hyperlinks should stand out from regular text through formatting or color.
Keep your design consistent across pages. For example, if underlined text usually indicates a hyperlink, avoid using underlines to signal something else. Consistent design patterns help users build a mental map of your site and navigate it more easily.
Presentation
Use descriptive headings and clear written content so users (and assistive technologies) can understand your site’s structure. Color should support your design but should not be the only way information is conveyed. If color communicates meaning, provide an alternative indicator or explanation.
Forms should be easy to complete and easy to correct. Clearly mark required fields, identify errors and explain how to fix them. Use descriptive alt text so images and visual elements can be interpreted by screen readers. You should also keep your code clean and fix broken links so your site works as expected for all users.
User control
Automatic pop-ups and auto-playing content can be frustrating and inaccessible. If you use pop-ups, make sure they are easy for all users to dismiss.
Avoid automatic changes to your site’s appearance or media playback. Users should be able to control time-dependent elements, such as extending time limits for completing tasks. Make sure your site does not time out or block progress for someone who needs more time to browse or complete a purchase.
3. Provide seamless customer service.
It’s wise to offer help when users struggle to navigate your site. Whether or not someone has a disability, having an easy way to get assistance can improve customer satisfaction and prevent abandoned shopping carts.
Your customers should be able to contact your business through multiple channels. Many e-commerce shoppers expect support options like email, live chat and phone. Make sure these contact methods are easy to use with assistive technology so everyone has a frictionless path to support. After all, technology should enhance communication, not make it harder.
Why do accessibility and ADA compliance matter?
As a small business owner, web accessibility might seem like a technical detail, but it plays a direct role in creating an inclusive and legally compliant online presence. The ADA requires businesses to ensure their websites are usable by people with disabilities.
Here are two top reasons why accessibility and ADA compliance matter:
Expanding your customer base
By making your e-commerce website accessible, you’re not only reducing legal risk but also opening your business to a significant market segment. About one in four U.S. adults has a disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Many of these customers shop online and are more likely to return to websites that provide a smooth, inclusive experience.
Accessible design helps people with visual impairments, motor disabilities, hearing challenges and cognitive differences navigate your site, view products and complete purchases.
Legal and financial considerations
Failing to comply with ADA requirements can lead to legal challenges and financial costs. Organizations have faced business lawsuits and steep settlements over inaccessible websites, which can be expensive and time-consuming.
Beyond legal risk, accessibility improvements can also strengthen your site’s performance. Clear navigation, alternative text for images and a clean site structure can improve your SEO strategy and create a better experience for all users, not just those with disabilities.
Make accessibility part of your e-commerce strategy
Making your e-commerce website accessible doesn’t require a complete overhaul. Even small changes, like improving color contrast, supporting keyboard navigation and adding descriptive alt text, can make your site easier to use for more people.
Prioritizing accessibility can expand your potential customer base, improve usability for all shoppers and reduce legal risk. It also signals that your business values inclusion, which can build trust with customers and employees alike.
Tejas Vemparala and Jamie Johnson contributed to this article.
