WCAG 2.1 AA Accessibility for Shopify
For Australian Shopify and Shopify Plus brands that need a store real people can actually use, keyboard, screen reader and low-vision included. We audit, remediate and verify to WCAG 2.1 AA.
Most Shopify themes fail accessibility out of the box
Premium themes and apps look polished and still lock out customers who rely on assistive technology. An overlay widget won't fix it, and it won't stand up under the DDA.
Keyboard users hit dead ends
Cart drawers, mega menus and quick-view modals trap focus or can't be reached by keyboard at all.
Screen readers read nonsense
Unlabelled buttons, missing headings and decorative markup make the shop unusable with VoiceOver or NVDA.
Contrast fails on the buy button
Low-contrast text and controls miss the 4.5:1 threshold, exactly where it costs you the sale.
Overlay widgets create false comfort
Bolt-on accessibility plugins don't achieve conformance and have drawn legal complaints of their own.
Legal exposure is real in Australia
The Disability Discrimination Act applies to websites, and complaints to the Human Rights Commission are rising.
You can't prove conformance
No audit, no statement, no evidence trail when a customer, partner or procurement team asks.
What's in scope
Where the work starts and stops, spelled out before we begin.
| We handle | You handle | Out of scope | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theme code | Remediation of your live theme | Staging access and approvals | Building a new theme from scratch |
| Third-party apps | Config and fixes within our control | Vendor upgrades on locked apps | Rewriting closed-source app internals |
| Content | Alt-text framework and samples | Ongoing alt text on new products | Writing copy for your full catalogue |
| Checkout | Pre-checkout flows and forms | Shopify-hosted checkout limits | Shopify's own checkout internals |
| Verification | Audit, statement and evidence | Legal sign-off with your counsel | Legal indemnity or certification |
Who this is for
This is for you if
- You run a Shopify or Shopify Plus store and need to reach WCAG 2.1 AA.
- You've had an accessibility complaint, demand letter or procurement requirement.
- You want real code remediation, not an overlay widget.
- You sell to government, education or enterprise buyers who require conformance.
Probably not a fit if
- You want a one-click plugin to make the site compliant overnight.
- You're not on Shopify, we're Shopify-only.
- You're mid-replatform and the theme changes next month, audit after.
- You want a certificate without changing any code.
What's included
A full audit, hands-on remediation and the evidence to back it up, specific to your theme and apps.
Audit & remediation
- Automated plus manual WCAG 2.1 AA audit
- Prioritised remediation of theme and templates
- Keyboard and screen reader testing (VoiceOver, NVDA)
- Accessibility statement and conformance summary
Technical deliverables
- Semantic Liquid markup and heading structure
- Focus management for drawers, modals and menus
- ARIA roles, states and live regions where needed
- Colour contrast fixes across theme tokens
- Accessible forms, labels and error messaging
Testing & tooling
- axe-core and Lighthouse in the build pipeline
- Manual audit against all 50 A and AA criteria
- Assistive tech testing on macOS and Windows
- Regression checklist handed to your team
How a remediation runs
Typical remediation runs 3–6 weeks, depending on template count, app depth and catalogue size.
Discovery
We scope your theme, apps and key journeys, and agree the pages and templates in range.
Audit
Automated scan plus a manual pass against all 50 Level A and AA criteria, logged issue by issue.
Prioritise
Findings ranked by severity and effort, mapped to templates so nothing is fixed twice.
Remediate
We fix the code on a staging theme, markup, focus, ARIA, contrast and forms.
Assistive tech testing
We retest with keyboard, VoiceOver and NVDA to confirm the fix in the real experience.
Verify & document
Re-audit, publish your accessibility statement and hand over an evidence pack.
Handover
Your team gets a regression checklist and guidance to keep new work conformant.
How we hold the line on quality
Automated scans catch a fraction of the issues. The rest is manual, and we test the way your customers actually browse.
- Every fix retested with keyboard and a screen reader, not just an automated scan.
- Manual audit against all 50 WCAG 2.1 A and AA success criteria.
- Contrast checked against 4.5:1 text and 3:1 UI thresholds.
- Focus order and visible focus states verified on every interactive element.
- Evidence logged per criterion so conformance is defensible.
Investment
Accessibility work is scoped after a short audit, cost tracks with template count, app depth and catalogue size. Indicative AUD bands below, typical and scoped after discovery.
Audit only
Full WCAG 2.1 AA audit, prioritised report and statement, no code changes.
Audit + remediation
Audit plus code remediation of theme and key templates, retested and verified.
Remediation + retainer
Larger or Plus stores, plus ongoing conformance checks on new work.
Accessibility questions, answered
Explore related services
Get a WCAG 2.1 AA audit of your Shopify store
A senior review of your theme against all 50 Level A and AA criteria, with a prioritised fix plan and clear pricing. Shopify-only, AU team.
Book a call
