PricingGuidesLog in
← All guides

BigCommerce WCAG Checklist for Polish Stores

Why Accessibility Matters for Your BigCommerce Store

EU accessibility law (EAA) enforcement begins June 28, 2025. BigCommerce stores that don't meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards risk legal exposure and lose customers—roughly 15% of Europeans have disabilities that affect how they use the web. Beyond compliance, accessible sites convert better: clearer forms, readable text, and working navigation help everyone.

Your WCAG Compliance Checklist

Image Alt Text

Screen readers can't describe images to blind users without alt text. Missing alt text also breaks SEO and user experience when images fail to load.

  • How to check on BigCommerce: Go to your product pages and category pages. Right-click each image, select "Inspect," and look for the `alt` attribute inside the `<img>` tag. If it's empty or missing, that's a fail.
  • What to fix: Write alt text that describes what the image shows—not just "product" or "image." For a red winter coat, write "Red wool winter coat with black buttons" instead of "coat.jpg." Be specific enough that someone who can't see the image understands what it is and why it matters.
  • BigCommerce-specific tip: Use the product image uploader's alt text field (it's there—many teams skip it). Batch-edit via bulk operations if you have hundreds of products.

Color Contrast

Text that's too light against a light background, or too dark against dark, becomes unreadable for people with low vision or color blindness.

  • How to check on BigCommerce: Use the WebAIM Contrast Checker (webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker). Take a screenshot of your live site, pick your text and background colors, and check the ratio. You need at least 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text.
  • What to fix: If your headings are dark gray (#666) on a light background, bump them to a darker gray (#333). If your form labels are light gray, make them darker. Test your buttons, links, and footer text too.
  • BigCommerce-specific tip: Check your theme's CSS in Storefront > Theme Files. Look for color values in buttons, links, labels, and headings. Don't just assume the default theme passes—test it.

Form Labels

Forms without visible labels confuse screen reader users, who can't tell what each field is for. Invisible labels (like placeholder text alone) aren't enough.

  • How to check on BigCommerce: Open your checkout, contact form, and any subscription pages. For every input field (name, email, etc.), look for a visible `<label>` element next to it.
  • What to fix: Make sure every input has a label, and connect them with the `for` attribute in the label and `id` in the input. Example: `<label for="email">Email address</label> <input id="email" type="email">`.
  • BigCommerce-specific tip: Check your form blocks and custom forms. If you've used placeholders instead of labels, add real labels above the fields. Placeholders disappear when users start typing—labels stay put.

Link Text

Links need readable text. "Click here," icon-only links, or empty anchors leave screen reader users lost.

  • How to check on BigCommerce: Scan your site for links. Listen to how a screen reader reads them (use NVDA free tool on Windows, or VoiceOver on Mac). Does the link text tell you where you're going or what happens when you click?
  • What to fix: Replace vague links like "Click here for our blog" with "Read our shipping guide." For icon-only buttons (like a shopping cart icon), add hidden text via `aria-label="Shopping cart"` or visible text next to the icon.
  • BigCommerce-specific tip: Check your navigation menus, footer links, and "Learn more" buttons. Look at category page breadcrumbs too—make sure they're not just chevron icons with no text.

HTML Document Language

Your page's `<html lang="pl">` tag tells screen readers and search engines what language your site is in. Missing or wrong language tags break pronunciation and SEO.

  • How to check on BigCommerce: Right-click your homepage and select "View Page Source." Look for the opening `<html>` tag at the very top. Does it include `lang="pl"` (or whatever your language is)?
  • What to fix: Add `lang="pl"` to the `<html>` tag if it's missing. If you have pages in multiple languages, set the right language for each (e.g., `lang="en"` for English pages).
  • BigCommerce-specific tip: Go to Store Settings > Language. Make sure your default language is set correctly. If you use BigCommerce's multi-language feature, check that each language version has the correct lang attribute in its HTML head.

Button Labels

Buttons need clear text. Icon-only buttons or buttons with no visible/hidden text leave screen reader users unable to know what the button does.

  • How to check on BigCommerce: Look at your buttons: "Add to Cart," "Checkout," "Subscribe," filter buttons, sort buttons. Does each button have readable text that explains what it does?
  • What to fix: If you have an icon-only button (like a search magnifying glass), add visible text next to it or a hidden label: `<button aria-label="Search products">🔍</button>`.
  • BigCommerce-specific tip: Check your product page buttons (size/color selectors, add-to-cart). Check filter and sort buttons on category pages. Use the browser inspector to see if buttons have `aria-label` or visible text—they should have one or both.

Next Steps

Start with images and form labels—they're the quickest wins. Use free tools like WAVE (wave.webaim.org) and Lighthouse to scan your site, then fix the top issues. Test with real screen readers (NVDA or VoiceOver) on a few key pages: homepage, product page, checkout. If your BigCommerce theme is custom-built, work with your developer to fix the HTML. If you use a Stencil theme, test it—many have known contrast and labeling issues that need tweaks.

This is technical WCAG guidance, not legal advice.

See exactly where your site fails

Run a free automated scan and get a real WCAG violation report in seconds — no signup required.

Scan your site for free

Related guides