Has anyone managed to bring their Shopify online shop up to the WCAG-AA accessibility standard?
Hi @Gaslukas
Yes, it is possible to bring a Shopify store close to WCAG-AA, but it’s important to know that Shopify itself is only partially compliant by default.
Most stores that reach WCAG-AA do it by:
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Starting with an accessibility-friendly theme (Dawn, Refresh, Sense are better bases)
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Fixing theme-level issues (color contrast, focus states, heading order, keyboard navigation)
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Adding ARIA labels where themes are missing them
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Ensuring images, icons, and buttons have proper alt text / labels
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Avoiding or carefully auditing third-party apps (many break accessibility)
In practice:
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90–95% WCAG-AA compliance is realistic
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100% compliance is very difficult due to Shopify checkout and app limitations
Most work is done with light Liquid + CSS changes, not apps.
Accessibility overlay apps can help with audits, but they don’t make a store WCAG-AA compliant on their own.
Best regards,
Devcoder 
Hi @Gaslukas ,
Yes, many Shopify merchants have brought their stores up to WCAG AA, but it’s important to know that this usually requires a mix of theme work, manual fixes, and ongoing maintenance. No theme (including Shopify’s free themes) will be 100% compliant out of the box.
WCAG-AA isn’t a single checklist you tick once. It’s a series of accessibility criteria, including:
- Text alternatives for images
- Keyboard navigation
- Focus indicators
- Color contrast ratios
- Form labels
- Semantic HTML
- ARIA roles where appropriate
Meeting all of them usually involves both content and code.
It’s possible with a code fix solution from the Shopify App Store, combined with an accessibility widget (NOT just an overlay on it’s own!) and continual monitoring of your site. There’s never a 100% one size fits all fix, there needs to be a complete and ongoing solution.