5 barriers almost every online shop has — and how to fix them

After countless sites, patterns emerge: shops rarely fail on exotic special cases but on the same five classics. The good news: all five are fixable.

1. Contrast too weak

Light grey text on white looks elegant — and is hard to read for many. The WCAG require at least 4.5:1 for normal text. Check your colours with a contrast checker and never rely on colour alone (an error message needs more than just red).

2. Missing or poor alt text

Product images without alternative text are invisible to blind users — and cost you image SEO. Describe the product briefly and in context; purely decorative images get an empty alt. How to do it right is in the guide writing good alt text.

3. Forms without real labels

Especially in checkout: fields that only have a placeholder instead of a visible label are a hurdle — the placeholder disappears as you type. Every field needs a linked label and clear error messages assigned to the field.

4. Not keyboard operable

Many people shop without a mouse. If filters, cart or menu can’t be reached and triggered with the Tab key — or the focus is invisible — the purchase breaks off. Test: put the mouse aside and tab through the entire order process once.

5. Pop-ups and sliders no one can get rid of

Cookie banners, newsletter layers, auto-sliders: if you can’t close or pause them by keyboard, they lock users out entirely. Watch out for closable dialogs, a sensible focus and respect for prefers-reduced-motion.

The fastest self-test

You don’t have to be a pro to find the biggest gaps. Three minutes are often enough: operate your checkout once using only the keyboard (Tab, Enter, arrows) — do you reach the order confirmation? Then mentally switch off the colours — are errors and required fields recognisable without red too? And zoom to 200% — does anything overlap or content disappear? Wherever it sticks, you have your priority list.

And then?

None of these five is rocket science. You’ll find the full roadmap — including testing and WordPress tips — in the guide make your website accessible. An on-screen menu like Welcoma’s additionally helps your visitors right away — but the five causes above belong fixed in the code.