E-commerce Accessibility Compliance Audit Checklist

A comprehensive checklist for auditing and ensuring e-commerce website accessibility compliance, focusing on screen reader compatibility, keyboard navigation, color contrast, alternative text, and other crucial accessibility features to create an inclusive online shopping experience.

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About This Checklist

Ensuring digital accessibility is not only a legal requirement but also a crucial aspect of providing an inclusive shopping experience for all users. This E-commerce Accessibility Compliance Audit Checklist is designed to help online retailers evaluate and improve their website's accessibility features, ensuring compliance with international standards and enhancing usability for people with disabilities. By addressing key areas such as screen reader compatibility, keyboard navigation, color contrast, alternative text for images, and form accessibility, this checklist enables businesses to identify accessibility gaps and implement best practices in inclusive e-commerce design. Regular audits using this checklist can lead to improved user experience for all customers, expanded market reach, legal compliance, and a stronger brand reputation for inclusivity in the e-commerce landscape.

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Industry

Retail and E-commerce

Standard

WCAG 2.1 - Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

Workspaces

E-commerce Website and Mobile App

Occupations

Web Accessibility Specialist
UX/UI Designer
Front-end Developer
Content Creator
E-commerce Compliance Officer
1
Does the average page load time meet performance standards?
Min0
Target3
Max5
2
Does the website use responsive design principles to adapt to different screen sizes?
3
Are images optimized for web performance without losing quality?
4
Does the text scale properly when browser font size is increased?

FAQs

It's recommended to conduct a comprehensive accessibility compliance audit bi-annually, with ongoing monitoring and testing after each major website update or new feature release.

The checklist covers areas such as screen reader compatibility, keyboard navigation, color contrast ratios, alternative text for images, closed captions for video content, form labels and error messages, skip navigation links, aria attributes, focus indicators, and responsive design for various devices and assistive technologies.

The audit should involve web accessibility specialists, UX/UI designers, front-end developers, content creators, legal advisors, and ideally, users with disabilities for real-world testing and feedback.

Improved accessibility can lead to increased user base including people with disabilities, better overall user experience, reduced legal risks, improved SEO performance, and enhanced brand reputation for inclusivity and social responsibility.

Yes, this checklist is designed to cover all aspects of an e-commerce website, including product pages, checkout processes, search functionality, customer support features, and mobile applications, ensuring comprehensive accessibility across the entire online shopping experience.

Benefits of E-commerce Accessibility Compliance Audit Checklist

Ensures compliance with accessibility laws and regulations (e.g., ADA, WCAG)

Expands market reach by making the e-commerce platform usable for people with disabilities

Improves overall user experience and site usability for all customers

Reduces legal risks associated with accessibility-related lawsuits

Enhances brand reputation as an inclusive and socially responsible business