How to Build an Accessible eCommerce Site for All Shoppers (2025 Guide)

A young shopper sits at her desk, ready to make a quick purchase. She’s found exactly what she wants, adds it to her cart, and moves to check out. But the “Buy Now” button can’t be reached using her keyboard. Within seconds, what should have been a simple checkout turns into a dead end.

For millions like her, this isn’t a glitch; it’s exclusion. More than 1.3 billion people worldwide live with disabilities (WHO), and for many, the internet remains a gated marketplace. Meanwhile, global eCommerce sales are projected to exceed $8 trillion by 2027 (Statista via Sellers Commerce). Every inaccessible experience isn’t just a lost opportunity; it’s a lost connection.

Accessibility isn’t about meeting the minimum standard of WCAG or ADA compliance. It’s about designing digital experiences that welcome every shopper, whether they’re navigating with a screen reader, voice command, or mobile touch. Accessible design removes friction, strengthens SEO, and builds loyalty by making every interaction seamless.

At LN Webworks, we’ve seen how inclusion drives impact. When SeCan’s eCommerce platform was rebuilt with structured metadata and accessible content, visibility increased by 40% and engagement followed. Accessibility didn’t just make the site compliant; it made it competitive.

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This guide will help you reimagine accessibility as a strategic advantage: transforming your eCommerce platform into one that’s compliant, discoverable, and built for everyone who’s ready to shop.

Core Accessibility Practices for eCommerce Sites

1. Keyboard-Friendly Navigation

A genuine accessible eCommerce site welcomes every user, including those who navigate entirely with a keyboard. Shoppers should be able to browse products, apply filters, and complete checkout using only the Tab, Enter, and Arrow keys.

For users with motor impairments or temporary limitations (like a broken wrist), keyboard navigation isn’t a convenience; it’s a necessity. Each button, dropdown, and input field must be reachable and visually highlighted with a clear focus indicator.

Sites that support full keyboard navigation consistently report lower checkout abandonment rates and improved mobile usability, as the same principles enhance touch and keyboard parity.

Quick test: Try completing a purchase on your own site without using a mouse. If you get stuck, that’s exactly where your user does, too.

2. Clear Content Structure and Headings

Good structure is the backbone of accessibility. For users relying on screen readers, headings (H1–H3) aren’t design elements; they’re navigational cues.

Each page should have one clear `<h1>` (for example, “Summer Collection” or “Order Summary”), followed by logically nested subheadings. Semantic HTML elements like `<nav>`, `<main>`, and `<section>` help assistive technologies interpret page context and flow.

Why it matters: Screen readers use this hierarchy to “skim” pages the same way sighted users scan visually.

Bonus benefit: Google’s algorithms also reward structured content with improved crawlability and SEO clarity, a win-win for inclusivity and visibility.

3. Strong Color Contrast

Color contrast defines whether your site is readable for all users. WCAG 2.2 standards require a minimum ratio of 4.5:1 for regular text and 3:1 for large text, ensuring legibility even for users with low vision or color blindness.

Designers should avoid relying solely on color to convey meaning (for example, “error” messages shown only in red). Combine color with icons or text for universal comprehension.

Why it matters: Around 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women experience some form of color blindness. A low-contrast palette could silently exclude up to 8% of your audience.

Tool tip: Test your palette with WebAIM’s Contrast Checker or Chrome DevTools’ built-in accessibility audit.

4. Descriptive Alt Text

Product visuals are the lifeblood of online commerce. But for customers using screen readers, those images only come alive through accurate alternative text (alt text).

Strong alt text describes the product, not the file name or emotion, in a concise, sensory way:

alt="Green cotton top with red floral embroidery and button collar"

Avoid keyword stuffing or decorative redundancy; if an image is purely aesthetic, leave the alt field empty (alt=””) so assistive tech skips it.

Why it matters: Shoppers using assistive devices rely on alt text to compare colors, styles, and product variants.

Proof point: After LN Webworks rebuilt SeCan’s catalog with consistent image metadata and alt text, SEO visibility increased by 40%.

5. Purposeful Link Text

Every link should make sense out of context. Instead of vague directives like “Click here,” use specific, action-oriented phrases such as “View size chart,” “Download return policy,” or “Explore new arrivals.”

This helps users, particularly those using screen readers, understand where each link leads without needing to read the surrounding text.

Why it matters: Clear links improve trust and comprehension. Users are 42% more likely to continue browsing when they know what each link will do.

Pro tip: Read your page aloud, skipping from link to link. If it sounds like a series of “click here” prompts, rewrite for clarity.

6. Accessible Online Forms

Online forms should never feel like puzzles. Label each field clearly and ensure instructions are visible before input, not just after an error occurs. Error messages should appear inline (“Please enter a valid email”) and be polite in tone.

Use the `<fieldset>` and `<legend>` tags to group related fields, such as shipping and billing. Every control, including radio buttons, dropdowns, and checkboxes, must be operable via the keyboard.

Why it matters: Accessible forms reduce frustration and abandonment during registration and checkout.

Example: One retail brand saw a 17% increase in completed checkouts after implementing labeled fields and real-time validation.

7. Inclusive Checkout Experience

The checkout journey should feel effortless, not intimidating. Break it into clear, labeled steps such as “Shipping,” “Payment,” and “Review Order,” and display progress visually.

Ensure all steps can be completed using the keyboard alone, and offer digital wallets or one-click payments for users with limited dexterity. Provide clear confirmation messages and the ability to review or edit information before final submission.

Why it matters: Checkout is where most users drop off. Simplifying accessibility at this stage directly translates to higher revenue retention and lower cart abandonment rates.

Pro tip: Run usability tests with real assistive tools such as screen readers or voice navigation. Watching a user complete checkout is the best audit you’ll ever conduct.

Advanced Accessibility Enhancements

1. WCAG 2.1 vs 2.2: What’s New?

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 expands on 2.1 by addressing how real users interact with websites, especially on mobile and touch interfaces. These updates refine accessibility from static compliance to practical usability.

Focus Not Obscured ensures that when users tab through forms or buttons, the highlighted element stays visible even under menus or overlays. This clarity helps users with low vision or cognitive challenges maintain awareness during checkout or navigation.

Target Size (Minimum) introduces larger touch areas, requiring a minimum of 24 by 24 CSS pixels for key buttons and icons. This supports users with limited dexterity and prevents accidental clicks on smaller mobile screens.

Consistent Help calls for accessible support links, such as chat, email, or FAQs, to appear in the same location across the site. Users always know where to find assistance, reducing frustration during form completion or payment.

Dragging Movements provides keyboard or button-based alternatives for drag-and-drop features. For instance, if a user rearranges items in a cart, they can do so by selecting “Move up” or “Move down” rather than relying solely on mouse gestures.

These refinements make eCommerce experiences smoother for every shopper. In LN Webworks’ implementations, small interface changes, such as larger target areas and persistent help links, have reduced cart abandonment by up to 12% for clients transitioning to WCAG 2.2 standards.

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2. Video and Audio Accessibility

Modern eCommerce thrives on multimedia, including tutorials, product demos, and brand storytelling. Yet videos without captions or transcripts exclude millions of potential buyers.

Captions should accompany every spoken word and meaningful sound. They benefit not only deaf or hard-of-hearing users but also shoppers in sound-sensitive environments, such as offices or public transportation. Transcripts for audio content provide users and search engines with readable context, enhancing accessibility and SEO simultaneously.

Audio clarity matters just as much. Background noise, inconsistent volume, or forced autoplay can frustrate all users. Clear recordings and user-controlled volume preserve focus and comfort.

Subtitles should stay perfectly synchronized with visuals, especially in instructional videos or product assembly guides. When captions appear in rhythm with the action, every viewer can follow directions confidently.

When LN Webworks implemented synchronized captions and transcripts for a healthcare eCommerce platform, average video engagement increased by 28%, demonstrating that inclusive benefits everyone.

3. Responsive and Mobile-First Design

With roughly 60% of global eCommerce traffic originating from mobile devices, responsive design is now synonymous with accessibility. A mobile-first approach means layouts, buttons, and text adapt automatically to every screen size, while maintaining readability and ease of interaction.

Accessible responsive design extends beyond scaling visuals. It ensures that zooming, tapping, and scrolling work seamlessly without disabling pinch-to-zoom or keyboard navigation. Users must be able to enlarge text or tap buttons comfortably, even with assistive devices or limited dexterity.

Equally vital are ARIA labels for icons and interactive regions, which enable screen readers to describe the function of each element. For example, a shopping cart icon should be labeled “View cart and proceed to checkout,” not just “button.”

Responsiveness also affects performance. Compressed images and efficient code enhance speed for users on slow networks, a subtle but crucial inclusion step for regions with limited bandwidth. LN Webworks routinely integrates this practice to improve both accessibility and Core Web Vitals, strengthening SEO and retention.

4. Accessible Product Pages

Product pages significantly influence the purchase decision, so accessibility in this context has a direct impact on revenue. Each page should provide precise, descriptive product details, not only visual features but also size, material, compatibility, and care instructions. This empowers screen reader users to make informed choices without relying solely on images for information.

Pricing and promotions must be displayed in text, not embedded in images, so that assistive technologies can accurately interpret them. Product variations, such as color, size, or quantity, should be navigable via keyboard and labeled with meaningful names rather than codes or abbreviations.

Structured data (also known as “schema markup”) adds context that both search engines and assistive tools can understand. For example, it identifies elements such as price, availability, and customer ratings. This dual benefit improves accessibility for users and search visibility for businesses.

When LN Webworks optimized SeCan’s catalog with accessible metadata and semantic markup, the result was a 40% improvement in SEO visibility and smoother browsing for all customers.

5. Accessible Search and Filters

Search and filter tools often decide how fast a shopper finds what they want or whether they give up entirely. For accessibility, the search bar must be fully operable with a keyboard, featuring clear focus indicators and predictable autocomplete. As users type, suggestions should be read aloud by screen readers to maintain context.

Filters should be structured logically, with clear group headings such as “Price,” “Category,” or “Brand.” Each filter control, whether a checkbox or slider, should respond to keyboard input. Collapsible filter menus must include aria-expanded attributes so screen readers can announce when sections open or close.

Dynamic filtering, where results refresh without reloading the page, should trigger live announcements to inform assistive users that new products have appeared. Without these cues, it can seem as though nothing changed.

Accessible search and filters make faster discovery for everyone. LN Webworks’ retail projects have demonstrated that accessible filter layouts can increase product view depth by 20-25%, directly supporting sales conversion and engagement.

Final Words 

Accessibility is no longer optional; it’s what defines brands that care and grow. When every shopper can explore and purchase with ease, inclusion becomes a competitive advantage that builds trust and long-term loyalty.

At LN Webworks, we’ve seen how accessibility transforms outcomes. SeCan’s platform gained 40% more visibility after optimizing for structured data and accessible content, while DKSR’s civic portal saw higher adoption once usability became part of its foundation. These results prove that accessibility fuels both purpose and performance.

Making your eCommerce platform inclusive from day one strengthens visibility, engagement, and reputation. It’s not a cost, it’s a catalyst for sustained growth.

Ready to make accessibility your growth advantage?

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Updated October 2025.