EAA website checklist: 12 checks for online stores
Use this checklist on your home page, one product page, the basket and the checkout. These are the pages customers must be able to use to buy from you. Each check links to the WCAG 2.1 success criteria commonly used to assess websites under the European Accessibility Act.
How does your store measure up?
Run a free automated check against WCAG 2.1 AA in under a minute.
| Check | WCAG reference |
|---|---|
| 1. Text alternatives for images Every product and content image has a meaningful alt text. Decorative images have an empty alt attribute. | 1.1.1 |
| 2. Colour contrast Normal text has a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background; large text at least 3:1. | 1.4.3 |
| 3. Labelled form fields Search, newsletter, account and checkout fields have visible labels that are linked to the field in the code. | 1.3.1, 3.3.2 |
| 4. Keyboard access Every menu, filter, size selector, pop-up and the whole checkout can be used with the keyboard alone. | 2.1.1 |
| 5. Visible focus When moving through the page with the Tab key, you can always see which element is selected. | 2.4.7 |
| 6. Readable link and button names Icon-only buttons, such as basket, search and close, have an accessible name. | 2.4.4, 4.1.2 |
| 7. Page language The page declares its language, so screen readers pronounce the text correctly. | 3.1.1 |
| 8. Headings and structure Pages use real headings in a logical order rather than bold text styled to look like headings. | 1.3.1 |
| 9. Clear error messages When a form field is wrong, the error is described in text and tells the customer how to fix it. | 3.3.1, 3.3.3 |
| 10. Zoom and reflow The store still works when zoomed to 200% and on a narrow mobile screen, without content being cut off. | 1.4.4, 1.4.10 |
| 11. Captions for video Product videos with speech have captions. | 1.2.2 |
| 12. Accessibility statement An up-to-date statement explains how the service meets the requirements and how customers can report problems. | EAA Annex V |
What automated tools can and cannot do
An automated scan quickly finds problems such as missing alt text, low contrast and unlabelled fields. It cannot judge whether alt text is meaningful or whether the checkout makes sense with a screen reader. Use a scan to find and track issues, and add manual testing for the key journeys.
How does your store measure up?
Run a free automated check against WCAG 2.1 AA in under a minute.