The Squarespace Accessibility Checklist (Printable and Owner Friendly)

This is a website accessibility checklist for Squarespace owners. It covers images, color contrast, headings, links, forms, keyboard navigation, and the things most owners miss, all measured against WCAG 2.1 AA. It takes about an hour the first time. Done monthly, with the date noted, it builds a good faith record of ongoing effort.

I'm a restaurant owner, not a developer, and I wrote this for people like me. You don't need code. You need your Squarespace login, your keyboard, and a free contrast checker. For the background on why this matters, start with how to check if your Squarespace site is accessible. Then print this and check the boxes as you go.

1. Images and alt text

Alt text is the short description a screen reader reads aloud in place of an image. Click an image block, open the pencil (edit) icon, and fill in the "Alt text" field (or the caption settings in some blocks). Gallery and banner images keep theirs in the image settings panel. Leave it blank and the filename takes over, which is why so many sites have alt text reading "IMG_4302.jpg."

• Every image that carries information has real alt text, not just a filename
• Alt text describes what matters in context, so "Bowl of pho with brisket and fresh basil" beats "food photo"
• No alt text starts with "image of" or "photo of," the screen reader already announces that
• Images with text baked in (a flyer, a menu graphic, a sale banner) repeat that text in the alt text or, better, on the page itself
• Purely decorative images (background textures, divider flourishes) have empty alt text on purpose so screen readers skip them

2. Color contrast

WCAG 2.1 AA asks for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 between normal size text and its background. Sounds technical, but checking is free and fast. Paste your text and background colors into the WebAIM Contrast Checker and it tells you pass or fail.

Your colors live under Design, then Site Styles (or the paintbrush icon), in the Colors section. Squarespace 7.1 uses color themes, so one change can touch many sections at once. That cuts both ways. One fix can repair a lot of pages, and one "refresh" can quietly break them.

• Body text on every page passes 4.5:1 against its background
• Text over hero photos and banners is readable on the lightest, busiest parts, not just the dark corner
• Button text passes contrast against the button color, and the button passes against the page behind it
• Links stand out from body text by more than color alone, an underline is the simple win
• Your footer and announcement bar pass too, since light gray on white loves to hide there

3. Headings and structure

Headings are the outline a screen reader user navigates by. It's tempting to pick Heading 3 because the size looks right, but heading levels are structure, not styling. Want a different size? Change the style in Site Styles instead of skipping levels.

• Each page has exactly one Heading 1, usually the page title
• Headings descend in order, H1 then H2 then H3, with no jumping from H1 to H4
• No bold, oversized text faking a heading, real headings come from the text block's heading options
• Heading text describes the section ("Hours and location") rather than decorating it ("~ ✦ ~")

4. Links and buttons

Screen reader users often navigate from a list of every link on the page. Ten links that all say "Learn more" tell them nothing.

• Every link makes sense on its own, like "View the dinner menu" instead of "click here"
• No two destinations share the same link text on one page
• Buttons say what they do, like "Book a table" or "Get the free guide"
• Icon only buttons and social icons have an accessible name. Squarespace handles standard social icons, but custom icon buttons from code or third party blocks need a label checked
• Links that open a PDF or a new tab say so in the link text

5. Forms

Squarespace form blocks are decent out of the box, but the settings let you hide labels and lean on placeholder text. Placeholders disappear the moment someone types, and many screen readers don't treat them as labels at all.

• Every form field has a visible label that stays put while typing, not just gray placeholder text
• Required fields are marked in the label, not only by color
• Error messages say what went wrong and where ("Please enter your email address"), not just a red outline
• After submitting, the confirmation message is real text on the page, not only a color change

6. Keyboard navigation

Plenty of people browse with no mouse at all. This is the most revealing five minute test you can run. It needs only the Tab key.

• From the top of your homepage, Tab moves through every menu item, link, button, and form field in a sensible order
• You can always see where you are, with a visible focus outline following as you tab
• Nothing traps you, you can tab into and out of every widget and form
• Enter activates links and buttons, and dropdowns open and close from the keyboard
• Escape closes any popup or lightbox, and focus returns somewhere sensible instead of vanishing

7. The stuff most owners miss

These are the items I see fail most often on real Squarespace sites, including restaurant sites like mine.

• PDF menus and linked documents. Most uploaded PDFs read as flat images that screen readers cannot use. Put the content on a real web page as text and treat any PDF as a secondary download
• Third party embeds. Reservation, ordering, and booking widgets (OpenTable, Resy, Tock, delivery platforms) belong to the third party, and you usually can't fix their issues from your editor. Place an accessible alternative beside each one, like a clearly labeled phone number and email, and note the limitation in your records
• Video captions. Every video on your site has captions, including YouTube or Vimeo embeds
• Announcement bars. Announcement bar text passes contrast and its close button is reachable by keyboard
• Promotional popups. Your newsletter or promo popup closes with Escape, has a close button you can reach by keyboard, and doesn't trap keyboard users

8. How to check your work

Two checks together catch far more than either alone.

• Manual keyboard test. Put the mouse aside and tab through your key pages, home, menu or services, contact, booking. If you get stuck or lost, a keyboard only visitor does too
• Automated scan. Run the free scan at katadaapp.com/scan. It checks your pages against WCAG 2.1 AA, shows the specific violations it finds, and asks for no credit card
• Date it. Note today's date and what you fixed. A dated trail of checks and real fixes is what good faith effort looks like on paper

The scan catches measurable issues like contrast ratios and missing labels. The keyboard test catches what a machine misses. You want both.

Repeat it monthly

Here's the part most checklists skip. Accessibility drifts. Every new photo, seasonal menu, promo, or embedded widget can introduce issues, so a site that passed in January can fail by March. Put a monthly reminder on your calendar, run the checklist, run the scan, and date your notes. The complete Squarespace accessibility guide goes deeper on every item here.

If you'd rather not do this every month, that's the exact gap Kat ADA fills. It's done for you. A specialist makes real source fixes inside your own Squarespace editor, scans your site monthly against WCAG 2.1 AA, and sends a dated monthly PDF record, the same trail this checklist builds by hand. The full scan report is free with an account, and plans start at $25 a month. Either path works. The only wrong move is checking once and assuming you're done.

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This article is general information, not legal advice, and no tool or report can guarantee an outcome or prevent a lawsuit.

Further reading. The complete Squarespace accessibility guide covers every fix in one place. Run a cafe or coffee shop? See accessibility for Squarespace cafe sites.