Accessibility and Shopify: the guide for e-commerce in compliance with the RGAA
Did you know that by ignoring accessibility, your Shopify store is cut off from more than a million potential customers in France? Beyond a simple best practice, inclusiveness is a strategic opportunity and a legal obligation.
Far from being a purely technical subject, web accessibility consists in making your site usable by everyone, including people with disabilities. In France, the frame of reference is RGAA (General Accessibility Improvement Framework). In this guide, we explain why and how to make your Shopify store a model of inclusiveness and performance.
Why is accessibility a strategic issue for your e-commerce ?
Integrating accessibility is not a constraint, but a winning strategy. For e-commerce managers on Shopify, understanding the benefits is the first step towards sustainable growth.
A legal and ethical imperative: the RGAA
The first argument is human: to participate in a fairer web. The second is legal. The RGAA is the official standard in France for evaluating and guaranteeing the accessibility of digital services. Based on international guidelines (WCAG), it sets precise rules. Non-compliance with RGAA exposes your business to sanctions and, more importantly, to a degraded brand image among an audience that is increasingly sensitive to these issues.
A commercial opportunity and an SEO driver
An accessible site is a site that sells more and is better referenced.
- Expanded audience: You open your product sheets and your purchase tunnel to millions of consumers who are often ignored.
- Best user experience (UX): One inclusive web design (high contrasts, clear navigation, simple forms) improves navigation comfort for tutti your visitors, which translates into better conversion rates.
- Direct SEO impact: Google loves well-structured, high-quality sites. Good accessibility practices (Alt tags, Hn title hierarchy, explicit links) are extremely positive signals for your natural referencing.
Accessibility and Shopify: how to ensure the compliance of your store?
Shopify offers an excellent working base, with themes that increasingly incorporate accessibility standards. However, RGAA compliance does not end with choosing a theme. It depends on how you personalize it, what apps you add to it, and what content you publish.
1. Audit your theme and apps
The first step is to make a Shopify accessibility audit. Your custom theme or third-party applications may introduce barriers:
- Keyboard navigation: Can a user navigate the entire site, add a product to the basket and complete the order using only the “Tab” key? Is the “focus” (the selected item) still visible?
- Pop-ups and mega menus: Are they accessible and easy to close for someone using a screen reader?
2. Optimize your product sheets for everyone
Your product sheets are at the heart of your business. Make sure they are fully accessible.
- Alternative texts (Alt): It is the most well known criterion. On Shopify, each product or collection image has a dedicated field for adding alternative text. Describe the image concisely and informatively.
- Color contrasts: The name of the product, its price and its description must be perfectly legible. Do your “Add to Cart” buttons have sufficient contrast to the background? Online tools can be used to verify this.
3. Structure your content
Whether on your collection pages, your blog or your institutional pages, a good structure is essential.
- Use titles (H1, H2...) logically: Don't choose them for their style, but for their hierarchical role. A page should have a single H1, then H2 for large sections, etc.
- Create descriptive links: Instead of a “Learn more” link, prefer “Discover our collection of dresses”.
At Axome, we specialize in the ecosystem Shopify. We support you in carrying out a complete audit of your store, correcting non-conformities and training your teams in the management of accessible content. We also operate on other efficient platforms such as Webflow, always integrating accessibility into the heart of our projects.
Accessibility FAQ
1. What is web accessibility, in short?
This is the principle of making a website usable by as many people as possible, including people with visual, auditory, motor or cognitive disabilities, in particular by respecting the standards of the RGAA in France.
2. My site is small, is accessibility really necessary?
Yes, absolutely. On the one hand, it is a legal obligation that concerns more and more actors. On the other hand, it is an opportunity to differentiate yourself and not to cut yourself off from any market share, regardless of the size of your business.
3. Does my Shopify theme automatically comply with the RGAA?
No, not necessarily 100%. Even so-called “accessible” themes can have flaws, and above all, the overall compliance of your site will depend on the customizations, applications added, and the content you publish on a daily basis. An audit is still essential.
4. Where do I start to improve the accessibility of my Shopify site?
Start with the basics: always fill in the alternative texts of your images and check that your colors offer sufficient contrast. Then, try to navigate your site without using your mouse. This will give you a first glimpse of potential obstacles.
Conclusion: Make accessibility your competitive advantage on Shopify
You will have understood it, theShopify accessibility is not a simple check box. It is a powerful driver of growth, a guarantee of quality and a strong commitment to your customers. By aiming for compliance with RGAA, you improve your SEO, your conversions and your brand image. It is an investment where ethics and performance are perfectly aligned.
Ready to make your Shopify store an inclusive model? Contact Axome experts for an accessibility audit and a tailor-made strategy.