Accessibility on Squarespace
Squarespace templates are visually polished, but their default styling often prioritizes look over contrast, and content blocks give editors a lot of freedom to skip the accessibility basics without realizing it.
Because most Squarespace sites are edited by non-developers, small habits, like sizing text visually instead of choosing the right heading level, are common and easy to miss without a scan.
Common Accessibility Issues on Squarespace Sites
Low-contrast default styling
Several default template styles use light, low-contrast text that fails WCAG’s minimum contrast ratio, especially for secondary text and buttons.
Missing image alt text
Gallery and summary blocks make it easy to add images quickly, and just as easy to skip the alt text field while doing it.
Heading levels skipped
Editors often size text visually to "look like a heading" rather than choosing the correct heading level, which breaks the page structure screen readers rely on.
Vague link text
"Read more" and "Click here" links, common in Squarespace’s blog and summary blocks, are not descriptive out of context for screen reader users scanning a page’s links.
Custom code injections
Code blocks and embedded third-party widgets bypass Squarespace’s own markup and can introduce issues the platform has no control over.
How AccessBell Scans Your Squarespace Site
- Enter any public page. Paste the address of a page on your Squarespace site into the scanner above. There is nothing to install: no plugin, no code snippet and no login.
- We load it in a real browser. AccessBell opens the page in headless Chrome and runs its scripts, so it tests what your visitors actually see, including content added by your theme, apps or plugins.
- We run the WCAG rules. The open-source axe-core engine checks the page against the standard you choose, and every result is mapped to the WCAG success criteria it affects.
- You get a report in seconds. Each issue comes with the failing HTML and how to fix it. Our methodology explains exactly what runs and what still needs a person.
What's Included in Every Scan
- 63 automated rules for WCAG 2.2 Level AA, or presets for WCAG 2.1 AA, the ADA, Section 508 and EN 301 549
- Every issue ranked by severity, from critical to minor
- The WCAG success criteria each issue fails, which you can look up in our WCAG library
- The failing HTML, so you can find the element in your Squarespace editor or code
- How to fix each issue, with a link to the rule's full documentation
- A list of checks that need a person to review, so nothing is missed
- Filters by WCAG version, level, principle, success criterion and severity
The free scan checks one page at a time. AccessBell Pro scans up to 500 pages per domain every day and alerts you when something changes.
How to Fix What the Scan Finds
- Most fixes are content edits, not code changes: correct heading levels, fill in alt text, and rewrite generic link text, all inside the Squarespace editor.
- Check custom CSS and code blocks separately, since they are the parts of the site Squarespace’s own defaults cannot help with.
- Run a free scan above on your homepage and a few key pages, fix issues starting with critical and serious, then rescan to confirm.
- For ongoing protection, AccessBell Pro monitors up to 500 URLs per domain every day and alerts you when a theme, app or plugin update introduces a new issue.
Related Guides
Squarespace Accessibility — Frequently Asked Questions
Is Squarespace accessible?
Squarespace provides solid design tools, but does not guarantee WCAG compliance automatically. Reaching compliance still requires deliberate choices, like correct heading levels and sufficient contrast, that the templates do not enforce.
Do I need a developer to fix Squarespace accessibility issues?
Most common issues, contrast, alt text, heading levels and link text, can be fixed directly in the Squarespace editor without code. Custom code blocks and third-party embeds may need a developer.
Which Squarespace template is most accessible?
Accessibility depends more on how a template is used than which one you pick. Any template can fail on contrast, headings or alt text depending on the content added to it, so scanning the finished site matters more than the template choice.
Sources
This page explains general accessibility patterns for Squarespace sites and is not legal advice. AccessBell is not affiliated with Squarespace. See our disclaimer.