Web accessibility testing and remediation
We test and fix online stores against WCAG 2.1 AA for the US ADA and the EU EAA, in the theme code itself, with no overlays, and hand you a remediation log and accessibility statement.
Industry numbers
- US federal website accessibility lawsuits in 2025
- 3,117
- Share of H1 2025 lawsuits that targeted e-commerce
- 69%
- Share of defendants earning under US$25M a year
- over 60%
- Chinese brands’ EU stores we tested failed
- 20 of 20
Lawsuit figures: Seyfarth Shaw (federal courts) and UsableNet (federal and state courts). See the ADA website compliance guide.
What the report looks like
A real report with the address and site screenshots masked. It opens on desktop and phone, and the link can go straight to your developer or your boss.
- Score and gradePoints come off by severity and count, graded A to F.
- Lawsuit flagsIssues that keep showing up in US complaints are marked so you fix them first.
- Impact and fixEach issue says where disabled shoppers get stuck and where to change it.
- Keyboard trailThirty Tab presses, with whether focus was visible at each step.
What a screen reader hears is not what you see
Blind shoppers buy with screen readers. Here is one product page before and after remediation. The scanners plaintiff firms use check exactly these things.
Before
- link(no name)
- link(no name)
- imageIMG_2041.jpg
- button(no name)
- edit1
- button(no name)
- button(no name)
After
- linkHome
- linkCart, 2 items
- imagePortable power station, front view, display lit, folding solar panel beside it
- buttonDecrease quantity
- editQuantity, 1
- buttonIncrease quantity
- buttonAdd to cart
What we test
Automated WCAG 2.1 AA checks, plus the keyboard and mobile tests most scanners skip.
-
Can a screen reader make sense of it
Image descriptions, button and link names, page language, heading structure.
-
Can forms be filled in
Labels on search, newsletter, quantity and variant fields.
-
Can it be read
Text contrast, and whether links in body text stand out.
-
Can you shop with a keyboard
We press Tab: is focus visible, does it get stuck, is there a skip link.
-
Can it zoom on a phone
Whether zoom is disabled, and whether the page scrolls sideways at phone width.
-
Statement and overlays
Whether there is an accessibility statement, and whether an overlay widget is installed.
We tested 20 Chinese brands’ EU stores
October 2026, home page and one product page each. All 20 failed, with a median of 76 failing elements, including the 2 running an overlay widget.
| Category | Failing elements, home | Failing elements, product | Overlay installed | Most frequent issues |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3D printers A | 174 | 112 | No | low contrast, unnamed buttons |
| 3D printers B | 33 | 87 | No | broken list markup, low contrast |
| 3D printers C | 43 | 43 | No | low contrast, unnamed links |
| 3D printers D | 10 | 10 | No | unnamed buttons, low contrast |
| Personal care A | 59 | 15 | No | unnamed links, broken list markup |
| Personal care B | 39 | 20 | No | low contrast, missing alt text |
| Personal care C | 26 | 25 | No | prohibited ARIA attributes, low contrast |
| Power stations A | 96 | 64 | Yes | low contrast, missing alt text |
| Power stations B | 28 | 105 | No | low contrast, invalid ARIA structure |
| Robot vacuums | 19 | 37 | No | low contrast, prohibited ARIA attributes |
| Charging accessories A | 30 | 48 | No | low contrast, unnamed links |
| Charging accessories B | 21 | 13 | No | unnamed links, low contrast |
| Home security | 29 | 19 | No | name/label mismatch, disallowed ARIA attributes |
| Smart home | 56 | 15 | No | low contrast, unnamed buttons |
| Smart lighting | 37 | 46 | No | low contrast, unnamed buttons |
| Swimwear | 10 | 22 | No | low contrast, unnamed links |
| Laser engravers A | 103 | 87 | No | low contrast, missing alt text |
| Laser engravers B | 31 | 78 | Yes | low contrast, unnamed links |
| Headphones | 47 | 79 | No | missing alt text, broken list markup |
| Audio | 34 | 36 | No | low contrast, invalid ARIA structure |
Failing elements are individual page elements that do not meet WCAG 2.1 AA, found with axe-core. Brand names withheld. Method and full data in the study write-up.
Overlay widgets versus real fixes
Overlays patch the page after it loads. About a quarter of website accessibility suits target sites that already run one.
| Compared | “One-click” overlay | A11yPass remediation |
|---|---|---|
| What changes | A script patches the page after it loads | The theme code and product content |
| If the script fails to load | Every issue is back | The issues are gone |
| How it is verified | The overlay’s own score | Retested item by item against WCAG 2.1 AA, plus manual keyboard and screen reader checks |
| What you keep | A monthly subscription | Before-and-after reports, a remediation log, an accessibility statement |
Why A11yPass
Free tools tell you something is wrong. We rank it by risk, fix it, document that it was fixed, and keep watching.
Ranked by litigation risk
We study US court dockets where cross-border brands were sued and fix what complaints cite most often first.
Peer lawsuit alerts
We track new website accessibility filings in US courts. When a brand in your category is sued, plaintiff firms are often sweeping similar stores, and we tell you to check early.
The 60% automation misses
Any automated tool finds 30–40% of issues. We walk from home page to checkout with a keyboard and a screen reader to find the rest.
Real code, no overlay
We edit a duplicate theme, you preview and publish, and you can switch back at any time. We never need your password.
Alt text for thousands of images
Missing image descriptions are among the issues complaints cite most. We draft them in bulk from your product data with AI, spot-check by hand and write them back to Shopify.
Fingerprinted test records
Every report has an ID and a content fingerprint that would break if edited. With the remediation log and statement, it shows when testing started and when fixes landed.
Fix once, cover several markets
The US ADA, the EU EAA, Canada and the UK all point to WCAG. Conforming to WCAG 2.1 AA covers the main markets in one pass.
Four working languages
Chinese with your team, English with US counsel and EU partners, and we test and write descriptions for Japanese and Spanish storefronts too.
Checked before launches and sales
New product and campaign pages are tested before they go live, and monthly rescans catch regressions before a demand letter does.
Web accessibility pricing
Technical work only: testing, fixing, monitoring. Legal questions go to a US lawyer.
- Online test
- Home, product and collection pages plus keyboard and phone tests.
- Free
- Manual review
- Home page to checkout with a keyboard and a screen reader; written report within 24 hours.
- Free
- Fix plan
- Item-by-item code changes for five templates. Your developers apply them and we retest once.
- from $450
- Done-for-you fixes
- We make the changes and deliver an accessibility statement and remediation log. Alt text for up to 300 product images included.
- from $1,200
- Monthly monitoring
- Monthly rescans, fixes and peer lawsuit alerts. 15% off when paid yearly.
- from $120/mo
Starting prices for a standard Shopify theme. Heavily customised themes, many apps or more than 300 product images are quoted after the manual review. Monthly monitoring is 15% off when paid yearly.
How remediation works
We never touch the live store or ask for your password, and you approve every step.
- TestRun the online test or request a manual review to see what is wrong and where.
- QuoteWe walk to checkout and confirm which pages need work.
- Work on a copyYou approve collaborator access in Shopify; we edit a duplicate theme only.
- You publishCheck the preview and publish when you are happy. Switching back takes one click.
- HandoverBefore-and-after reports and an accessibility statement, then monthly rescans.
What we do not do
- We do not give legal advice or negotiate settlements. If you have a demand letter or complaint, talk to a US lawyer first.
- We do not sell overlay widgets.
- We do not promise you will never be sued. We make the site genuinely conform and leave you a record you can show.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate is the online score?
Automated testing finds roughly 30–40% of accessibility issues, enough to see the direction. A low score almost certainly means real problems; a high score does not prove full conformance. Complete keyboard and screen reader journeys need a manual review.
We are a small brand. Does this apply to us?
The ADA has no size threshold, so small stores are sued too. The EU EAA exempts microenterprises with fewer than 10 staff and no more than €2 million annual turnover.
Will fixes change how the store looks or converts?
Most fixes are invisible: button names, image descriptions, form labels. Colour contrast is the main visible change, and we show you the proposed colours first.
Do you work with platforms other than Shopify?
Yes for testing and fix plans. On SHOPLINE, Shoplazza or custom sites your developers usually apply the plan and we retest.
We already received a demand letter. What now?
Hand the legal side to a US lawyer. Settlements usually require the site to conform by a deadline; we can do that part and document it.
Does the test affect my site?
No. It loads pages like a normal visitor and never submits forms or places orders.