ADA Compliance for Squarespace: A Practical Guide

Squarespace makes it easy to build a beautiful website. But beautiful doesn't automatically mean accessible. If you're running a business on Squarespace, your site needs to work for everyone, including people who navigate with keyboards, use screen readers, or have low vision. That's not just a nice thing to do. Under the ADA, it's increasingly treated as a legal requirement.

I've scanned hundreds of Squarespace sites with our free scanner, and the results are a mixed bag. Squarespace does some things well out of the box. But there are consistent problem areas that trip up nearly every site I check. In this guide, I'll walk you through what Squarespace gives you for free, where the gaps are, and exactly how to fix them.

Squarespace and Accessibility Basics

Let's start with the good news. Squarespace is a managed platform, which means they handle a lot of the underlying HTML structure for you. Unlike building a custom site from scratch, you don't have to worry about setting up a doctype, language attribute, or viewport meta tag. Squarespace handles all of that correctly.

The platform also generates valid, semantic HTML for basic content. When you add a text block, you get proper <p> tags. When you add a heading, you get an actual heading element. Links are real <a> tags. That foundation matters more than most people realize, because screen readers depend on correct HTML semantics to convey the structure of a page.

But here's the thing. Squarespace gives you the building blocks. What you do with them determines whether your site is actually accessible. A gorgeous layout with missing alt text, broken heading hierarchy, and low-contrast text will fail an accessibility audit regardless of what platform it's built on.

The ADA doesn't have specific technical standards for websites written into the law itself. But courts and the Department of Justice have consistently pointed to WCAG 2.2 Level AA as the benchmark. That's the standard I'll be referencing throughout this guide. And unlike WordPress, where you can install plugins and edit theme files directly, Squarespace limits what you can change. Your options are: choose the right template, configure settings correctly, add alt text and labels where Squarespace lets you, and use code injection for everything else.

Built-in Accessibility Features

Credit where it's due. Squarespace has made real improvements to accessibility over the past few years. Here's what the platform handles for you without any extra effort.

Semantic HTML in Newer Templates

Squarespace 7.1 templates generate cleaner, more semantic markup than the older 7.0 templates. You'll get proper <header>, <nav>, <main>, and <footer> landmark elements. Screen reader users rely on these landmarks to jump between major sections of a page without having to tab through every single element. This is a big deal. Many website builders still output a soup of <div> elements with no semantic meaning.

Responsive Design

All Squarespace templates are responsive by default. Content reflows for mobile screens, text resizes appropriately, and touch targets are generally sized correctly. This covers several WCAG criteria around text resizing (1.4.4) and reflow (1.4.10). Users who zoom in to 200% or more will still get a usable layout without horizontal scrolling.

Form Labels

Built-in Squarespace form blocks generate proper <label> elements connected to their inputs via the for attribute. Required fields are marked with both visual indicators and aria-required attributes. This is one area where the platform does well. If you stick with the native form blocks, screen reader users will hear the field name when they focus each input.

Keyboard Operability

Basic navigation elements (links, buttons, form fields) are keyboard accessible in most templates. You can Tab through the page and activate elements with Enter or Space. The platform also includes visible focus indicators on interactive elements, though the default styling is sometimes too subtle to notice easily.

Skip Links in Some Templates

Some Squarespace 7.1 templates include a skip-to-content link that appears when you press Tab. This lets keyboard users jump past the navigation to the main content. Not all templates include this, though, so you may need to add one yourself via code injection (covered below).

Common Squarespace Accessibility Issues

Despite those built-in features, I consistently find the same accessibility problems on Squarespace sites. Here are the ones that come up most often.

Gallery Blocks Without Alt Text

This is the number one issue I see. Squarespace makes it easy to create beautiful image galleries, but the alt text fields are buried in the image settings. Many site owners never find them, or they leave them blank. Every image in a gallery that carries meaning needs descriptive alt text. If you're showing product photos, portfolio work, or team headshots, those images need to be described for screen reader users.

Custom Fonts With Poor Color Contrast

Squarespace lets you customize fonts and colors extensively. That flexibility is a double-edged sword. I see a lot of sites using light gray text on white backgrounds, or thin fonts at small sizes, both of which fail WCAG color contrast requirements. The minimum contrast ratio is 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text (18px+ bold or 24px+ regular). Squarespace's style editor doesn't warn you when your choices fall below these thresholds.

Navigation Dropdown Issues

While Squarespace's primary navigation is generally keyboard accessible, nested dropdown menus can be hit or miss. Some templates handle multi-level dropdowns well. Others trap keyboard focus or don't properly announce the expanded/collapsed state of dropdown triggers to screen readers. If your site uses deep navigation with nested folders, test it thoroughly with a keyboard before going live.

Accordion and Tab Blocks

Squarespace's accordion blocks are used heavily for FAQ sections. The good news is that newer versions use proper <button> elements for the toggles. The less good news is that ARIA attributes like aria-expanded aren't always implemented consistently across all template families. This means screen readers may not announce whether an accordion section is open or closed.

Background Images and Decorative Elements

Squarespace's section backgrounds and banner images are CSS background images, not <img> elements. That means there's no alt text mechanism for them. If your banner image contains important text or visual information, that content is invisible to screen readers. This trips up a lot of portfolio and photography sites.

Third-Party Embeds

Squarespace lets you embed third-party content like Instagram feeds, Google Maps, and custom code blocks. These embeds are outside Squarespace's control, and they're often completely inaccessible. An embedded Google Map without a text alternative is useless to a screen reader user. An Instagram feed widget might have no keyboard support at all. For accessible forms specifically, see our accessible forms guide.

Choosing the Right Squarespace Template for Accessibility

If you're starting a new Squarespace site or considering a redesign, your template choice has a real impact on accessibility.

Squarespace 7.1 vs. 7.0

Squarespace 7.1 introduced the Fluid Engine, which replaced the older "classic" layout editor. From an accessibility standpoint, 7.1 with the Fluid Engine is the better choice. It generates cleaner semantic markup, has better landmark structure, and receives ongoing accessibility improvements from Squarespace's development team.

If you're still on a Squarespace 7.0 template (sometimes called "classic" templates like Bedford, Brine, or Pacific), you're working with older code that has more accessibility gaps. The markup is less semantic, some interactive elements use <div> tags instead of proper buttons, and the navigation structure can be inconsistent. If you have the option, migrating to 7.1 is worth the effort.

What to Look For in a Template

Within 7.1, there isn't a huge difference between template families since they all use the same underlying engine. But the styling choices still matter. Prioritize these factors:

• High contrast color palettes. Pick a style with dark text on light backgrounds. You can always customize colors later, but starting with a high-contrast palette saves work.
• Simple navigation structure. Templates with straightforward top navigation and no more than one level of dropdowns are easier to make accessible.
• Standard content layouts. Avoid templates that rely heavily on image-overlay text, parallax scrolling, or animated content. These effects often create contrast issues and can trigger motion sensitivity.
• Readable typography. Choose a template with a clear, legible body font at a reasonable size (16px or larger). Thin, decorative fonts may look elegant, but they reduce readability for users with low vision.

Templates to Be Careful With

Templates that lean heavily on full-screen background images with overlaid text are risky. The text contrast depends entirely on the image underneath it. What passes contrast requirements with one photo might completely fail with another. If you must use this layout, add a semi-transparent dark overlay behind the text to guarantee a minimum contrast ratio.

Portfolio-style templates that present content primarily through images also need extra attention. Screen reader users navigate by text, headings, and links. A page that's 90% images with no alt text is essentially a blank page to them.

Code Injection Fixes for Accessibility Gaps

Squarespace has a Code Injection feature (Settings > Advanced > Code Injection) that lets you add custom HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to your site. This is your best tool for fixing accessibility issues that you can't address through the visual editor. For a deeper look at ARIA attributes, check out our guide to ARIA labels.

Adding a Skip Link

If your template doesn't include a skip-to-content link, you can add one through header code injection:

<!-- Add to Settings > Advanced > Code Injection > Header -->
<style>
  .custom-skip-link {
    position: absolute;
    top: -40px;
    left: 0;
    background: #000;
    color: #fff;
    padding: 8px 16px;
    z-index: 10000;
    font-size: 14px;
    transition: top 0.2s;
  }
  .custom-skip-link:focus {
    top: 0;
  }
</style>
<a href="#page" class="custom-skip-link">Skip to main content</a>

The #page ID targets Squarespace's main content wrapper. When a keyboard user presses Tab, this link appears at the top of the screen. Pressing Enter jumps them past the navigation to the content.

Custom Focus Styles

Default focus indicators in Squarespace can be hard to see, especially on sites with custom color schemes. Add visible focus styles through code injection:

<!-- Add to Settings > Advanced > Code Injection > Header -->
<style>
  *:focus-visible {
    outline: 3px solid #2563eb;
    outline-offset: 2px;
  }
  a:focus-visible {
    outline: 3px solid #2563eb;
    outline-offset: 2px;
    border-radius: 2px;
  }
</style>

The :focus-visible pseudo-class only shows the focus ring for keyboard navigation, not mouse clicks. This keeps the visual design clean while making keyboard navigation obvious.

Labeling Social Media Icons

Squarespace templates often include social media icon links in the header or footer that have no text label. Screen readers announce these as "link" with no description, which is useless. Add this to your footer code injection:

<!-- Add to Settings > Advanced > Code Injection > Footer -->
<script>
  document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {
    var socialLinks = document.querySelectorAll('.sqs-svg-icon--wrapper');
    socialLinks.forEach(function(link) {
      var use = link.querySelector('use');
      if (use) {
        var iconId = use.getAttribute('xlink:href') || use.getAttribute('href') || '';
        if (iconId.includes('instagram')) link.setAttribute('aria-label', 'Instagram');
        if (iconId.includes('facebook')) link.setAttribute('aria-label', 'Facebook');
        if (iconId.includes('twitter')) link.setAttribute('aria-label', 'Twitter');
        if (iconId.includes('linkedin')) link.setAttribute('aria-label', 'LinkedIn');
        if (iconId.includes('youtube')) link.setAttribute('aria-label', 'YouTube');
        if (iconId.includes('pinterest')) link.setAttribute('aria-label', 'Pinterest');
      }
    });
  });
</script>

Fixing Color Contrast With CSS

If your design uses low-contrast text, you can override it with CSS. Check your contrast ratios using a tool like the WebAIM contrast checker, then apply fixes:

<style>
  /* Fix light gray body text */
  .sqs-block-content p,
  .sqs-block-content li {
    color: #374151;  /* Passes AA on white backgrounds */
  }

  /* Fix light navigation links */
  .header-nav-item a {
    color: #1f2937;
  }

  /* Fix light footer text */
  .footer-block p {
    color: #d1d5db;  /* Passes AA on dark backgrounds */
  }
</style>

Always test your changes with an actual contrast checker. Eyeballing it isn't reliable, especially for text near the 4.5:1 threshold.

Image and Gallery Accessibility in Squarespace

Images are central to most Squarespace sites, and getting them right is one of the most impactful things you can do for accessibility.

Adding Alt Text to Individual Images

For standard image blocks, click on the image in the editor, then click the pencil icon (or "Edit" in the image toolbar). You'll see a "Description (ALT Text)" field. Write a concise description of what the image shows and why it matters in context. Don't start with "Image of" or "Photo of." Screen readers already announce that it's an image.

Good examples:

• "Customer using our mobile app at a coffee shop" (product marketing page)
• "Bar chart showing 40% increase in web traffic after accessibility improvements" (case study)
• "Red warning banner with white exclamation mark" (UI screenshot)

For more examples and best practices, check out our complete alt text guide.

Gallery Blocks

Squarespace gallery blocks let you add alt text to each image, but the process varies by gallery type. Grid galleries are the most accessible option. Click each image, then click "Edit" to find the alt text field. Slideshow galleries work similarly, but make sure the slideshow controls (previous, next, pause) are keyboard accessible. Carousel galleries can be tricky. Test with a keyboard to confirm you can navigate between slides without getting trapped.

Background Images

Squarespace section backgrounds are rendered as CSS background images, which means screen readers ignore them entirely. This is fine if the image is purely decorative. But if your hero section has a background image of a process diagram and no equivalent text, that information is invisible to assistive technology users.

The safe pattern: make sure all meaningful content exists as actual HTML text. If your hero has a background photo with overlaid text like "Welcome to Our Studio," the background is decorative because the text carries the message.

Logo Images

Your site logo is an image too. In Squarespace, go to Design > Logo & Title and make sure your site title is filled in. Squarespace uses this title as the alt text for your logo image. If the site title field is empty, screen reader users will hear "link, image" with no description when they encounter your logo.

Testing Your Squarespace Site

You've made your fixes. Now you need to verify they're working. I recommend a three-step testing approach.

Step 1: Run an Automated Scan

Start with our free accessibility scanner. Paste your Squarespace URL and run the scan. You'll get a report showing every issue found, organized by severity (Critical, Serious, Moderate, Minor). Each issue includes an explanation of why it matters and how to fix it. Automated scanning catches about 30-40% of all accessibility issues. It's excellent at finding missing alt text, color contrast failures, missing form labels, broken ARIA attributes, and structural problems like skipped heading levels.

Step 2: Keyboard Testing

Put your mouse away and try to use your site with only the keyboard. Press Tab to move between interactive elements. Use Enter or Space to activate buttons and links. Press Escape to close menus or overlays.

Here's what to check:

• Can you reach every link, button, and form field by tabbing?
• Can you see where the focus is at all times? (Look for a visible outline.)
• Does the tab order follow a logical reading order?
• Can you open and close the mobile menu with the keyboard?
• Can you open and close accordion sections with Enter or Space?
• Are you ever trapped? (Can't tab forward or backward out of a section?)

Step 3: Screen Reader Quick Check

You don't need to become a screen reader expert, but a quick check goes a long way. On a Mac, press Cmd+F5 to turn on VoiceOver. Use Tab to move through interactive elements and listen to what gets announced. On Windows, download NVDA (it's free) and do the same thing.

Listen for these problems:

• Images announced as "image" with no description (missing alt text)
• Buttons or links announced with no name (missing labels)
• Headings that don't reflect the page structure (broken hierarchy)
• Content that's skipped or invisible to the screen reader

Even 15 minutes of testing will reveal problems that no automated tool can catch.

Quick Wins Checklist

Here's a prioritized list of things you can do right now to improve your Squarespace site's accessibility. Start at the top and work down.

1. Run an accessibility scan to see exactly where your site stands. This gives you a concrete list of issues to work through.
2. Add alt text to every image. Go through each page, click on each image block, and write a descriptive alt text. This is the single most common issue on Squarespace sites.
3. Check your color contrast. Open your site style editor and verify that body text, headings, and link colors meet the 4.5:1 contrast ratio against their backgrounds. Bump up font weights or darken text colors where needed.
4. Review your heading hierarchy. Every page should have one H1 (your page title). Sections under it should use H2, subsections should use H3, and so on. Don't skip levels. Don't use heading styles just for visual sizing.
5. Test all forms. Fill out every form on your site using only a keyboard. Verify that each field has a visible label (not just placeholder text), that required fields are marked, and that error messages point to the right field.
6. Add focus indicator CSS. Copy the focus indicator CSS from the code injection section above and paste it into your header code injection. This takes 30 seconds.
7. Add a skip link. If your template doesn't have one, add it via code injection. Keyboard users need a way to skip past the navigation.
8. Label your social media icons. Use the JavaScript snippet from the code injection section to give screen readers a text label for each social icon.
9. Check your galleries. Make sure every gallery image has alt text. Navigate through slideshows with the keyboard to confirm they work without a mouse.
10. Fill in your site title. Go to Design > Logo & Title and make sure the site title field has text. This becomes the alt text for your logo.

Platform-Specific Guides

Using a different platform? We've written detailed accessibility guides for WordPress, Shopify, and Wix too. Each one covers the platform-specific quirks and fixes you need to know.