Shopify store got an ADA letter? Fix these first.
Most ADA website complaints against online stores cite the same handful of problems. Here's where each one lives in Shopify, and what you can and can't change yourself.
Got a lawsuit, not just a letter? Fixing your site matters, but it doesn't answer the lawsuit. Read the first 72 hours and talk to a lawyer about your deadline.
Start by finding out what's actually wrong
Don't guess from the complaint. Scan your homepage, a collection page, a product page and your cart. Problems on a Shopify store usually come from the theme, so one fix often clears the same problem on every product page.
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Describe every product image
Missing image descriptions (alt text) are the most common problem in these complaints. A screen reader user hears "image" or a file name instead of what you're selling.
Where: Products, open the product, click an image, then Add alt text. Describe what a shopper needs to know, like "Navy wool beanie with a white embroidered logo". For images in your theme (banners, slideshows, your logo), open the theme editor, click the image, then Edit, and fill in Alt text. You can also edit any image's alt text in Content, then Files. (Shopify Help Center)
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Give every icon button a name
Cart, search, menu and account icons often have no text a screen reader can read, so they're announced as just "button".
Where: these live in your theme's code. Check for a theme update first, since many themes have fixed this. Otherwise ask your theme developer or a Shopify developer to add labels.
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Label every form field
Newsletter sign-ups, search boxes and contact forms often rely on grey placeholder text that disappears when you type and isn't always read out.
Where: most of these come from the theme. Some themes have a setting to show field labels. Forms added by apps need fixing in that app's settings or by the app's developer.
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Make text readable
Light grey text, or white text on a pale button, fails contrast checks.
Where: Online Store, Themes, Customize, then Theme settings and Colors. Change the text and button colors the scan flags.
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Try buying something with only the keyboard
Unplug your mouse. Use Tab to move, Enter to choose, and Escape to close things. Pick a product, choose a size, add it to the cart and reach checkout.
Pop-ups are the usual trap: a discount or email pop-up that can't be closed with the keyboard blocks the whole store. Check every app that shows a pop-up, a chat bubble or a review widget. Their code comes from the app, so problems there go to the app's developer.
Shopify runs the checkout itself, so you can't edit its code. Test it anyway, and report anything that doesn't work to Shopify Support.
Don't install an overlay widget as the fix
Apps that add an accessibility toolbar or "one-line fix" don't change your theme's code, and stores running them still get sued. The FTC fined the biggest one, accessiBe, $1 million over its claims (FTC).
Keep dated proof
Save a dated record of what was wrong and what you fixed. Courts have dismissed cases when a business showed its site was already fixed and the plaintiff couldn't rebut it (Seyfarth Shaw). Re-scan after theme updates and new apps, since both can bring problems back.
If a letter has already arrived, the Letter Response Kit scans up to 25 pages of your store, groups the problems by theme template with Shopify steps, and seals the results into a dated evidence pack for your lawyer.
Automated scans find only some accessibility problems, so a clean scan doesn't mean a store is compliant. Due Effort is not a law firm and this page is not legal advice. Shopify menu names can change; these match the Shopify admin as of October 2026. Other platforms