Wix accessibility: what the Accessibility Wizard does, what it misses and what you still do

What Wix provides

Wix describes the Accessibility Wizard as an editor tool that scans your site for accessibility problems and guides you through fixing them. Results appear in two groups: detected issues, split into site-wide and page-level items, and manual tasks, which are things the Wizard cannot detect on its own. An Accessibility Monitor scans the published version of the site and flags possible new issues.

What Wix says stays with you

Wix's own guidance says it handles the back-end work while site owners are responsible for making their content and design accessible: preparing images, text, graphics and structure, and enabling accessibility components in the editor. Wix also states that it cannot guarantee that using its services makes a site compliant with all accessibility laws, and it recommends consulting an accessibility expert. Its checklist for improving a site's accessibility is a useful starting point.

Gaps to cover yourself

• Contrast: Wix notes the Wizard may not identify every contrast problem and suggests manual review with its contrast checker. Text over photos is the usual culprit (guide).
• Pages not scanned: some pages and elements are outside what the Wizard covers.
• Meaningful alt text: the Wizard can flag a missing description, but only you can write a useful one (alt text guide).
• Keyboard and screen reader use: test menus, popups, galleries and forms by hand (how to).
• Third-party apps and embeds: booking widgets, chat and payment pages come from other developers.

How Wix editing relates to accessibility

Wix lets you build pages visually by placing elements on a canvas. This is convenient, but it means the order of elements in the underlying structure may not match what you see. Because people who use screen readers and keyboards experience the structure, not the picture, it is worth checking the order.

Wix provides tools aimed at helping with this, including an accessibility checker in the editor and a way to set the reading order of elements on a page. The features and names change as Wix updates its products, so check Wix's own help pages for the current steps.

A step-by-step review of a Wix page

1. Set the page title and language. Make each page title describe the page. Check the site language setting.
2. Review the structure. Check that headings are real headings and follow a sensible order, with one main heading per page. Use the heading style, not just large text. See headings.
3. Review the reading order. Use the editor's tools to confirm elements are ordered logically from top to bottom and left to right.
4. Add alternative text. Describe meaningful images and mark decorative ones. See alt text.
5. Check colors. Verify text and button contrast. See color contrast.
6. Name your links and buttons. Replace "click here" and "more" with specific text. See link and button names.
7. Test the keyboard. Tab through the page and check menus, lightboxes, sliders and forms.
8. Test on a phone. Check that buttons are large enough and the layout reflows.

Elements that deserve extra care

Wix Stores and bookings

If you sell products or take bookings, test the whole journey, from product to confirmation email. App features are provided by Wix or by third parties and may have different levels of accessibility. Run a test order, pay attention to error messages, and make sure the confirmation page and email are readable with a screen reader and at high zoom.

What a widget will and will not do

Wix's app market includes accessibility widgets. As explained in the overlays guide, these add controls on top of a site and do not repair the underlying structure. Fix the page first, and decide afterwards whether a widget adds anything useful. Remember also to publish an accurate accessibility statement.

Why visual builders need extra care

On a canvas, you can place a button anywhere. For a sighted mouse user the arrangement is the whole experience. For keyboard and screen reader users the experience is a sequence, which depends on how the page is structured. When you drag an element to a new position, the sequence may or may not change in the way you expect. The easiest way to find out is to press Tab and listen.

Text, color and size on Wix

Wix gives you wide freedom with fonts, colors and layering. Use it carefully.

• Pick a base font size of at least 16 pixels for body text and test on a phone.
• Avoid very thin or decorative fonts for paragraphs.
• Do not place text over a busy photo without a solid or semi-solid overlay behind it. Check the contrast at the lightest and darkest parts of the image.
• Do not use color alone to show a link, an error or a selected state. Add underlines, icons or words.
• Keep line length comfortable, around 50 to 80 characters, and leave generous line spacing.

Forms, bookings and member areas

Wix offers forms, bookings, member sign-in and online stores. In each, check the same things: a visible label on every field, clear instructions for required fields, error messages that explain how to fix the problem and a confirmation that appears in text. For bookings, check the calendar widget with the keyboard, and confirm that the booking confirmation email is readable. For member areas, check that signing in does not depend on solving a puzzle with no alternative.

Making repairs when you cannot change the code

Wix is a hosted builder, so you may not be able to change some underlying code. If a built-in element has a problem you cannot fix, you have a few options. You can replace it with a simpler element that does the same job, you can report the problem to Wix support and you can offer a different way to complete the task, such as a phone number for bookings. Record what you did and why. This is a sensible approach for a small business and a useful thing to describe in your accessibility statement. See the statement guide.

A monthly routine

1. Open the accessibility tools in the editor and review any items they flag.
2. Tab through the home page and one other page and make sure nothing is lost.
3. Look at any new images and add descriptions.
4. Zoom to 200 percent and check the top of each main page.
5. Update your statement if anything has changed.

Common questions from Wix site owners

• My site passes the Wix checker. Is it done? The checker looks for issues that can be detected automatically. It cannot judge whether alternative text is helpful or whether your layout makes sense to a screen reader user. Use it as a first step and then test with a keyboard.
• Do I need to remove animations? Not necessarily, but avoid motion that cannot be paused, and keep movement gentle. Some visitors feel unwell with large moving effects. Respect the setting in their device that asks for reduced motion when a feature supports it.
• Can I use a template without worrying? Templates are a good start, but you change them as soon as you add content. Test your own pages, not only the template preview.
• What about videos on the home page? If a video plays on its own, add a pause control and keep it short. Captions are needed if there is speech.
• How do I know what visitors with disabilities experience? Try your site with a screen reader for a few minutes and with the keyboard alone. Ask a disabled friend or customer if they are willing to comment.

Planning improvements over a few weeks

Work at your own pace. A small number of well-chosen fixes helps more than a big list that never gets finished.

A worked example: a yoga studio's Wix site

A yoga studio has a Wix site with a class timetable, a booking page, a gallery and a contact form. A scan reports that images lack descriptions, two headings are used only for style and the timetable text is light grey on white. The owner starts with the booking page, because it brings in revenue. She adds labels to two fields, checks the order of elements and finds that the "Book now" button comes before the class description in the reading order. She moves it after the description.

Next she changes the timetable text to a darker grey, writes descriptions for the gallery photos and sets the headings to match the structure. A keyboard check reveals that the gallery lightbox cannot be closed with Escape, so she replaces it with a simple grid of images and captions. Finally she adds a short accessibility statement and a reminder to check the site each season. The work takes a weekend and costs nothing but time.

Languages, fonts and mobile view

Wix sites often have a separate mobile layout that you edit independently. Check both. Elements can be hidden, moved or resized on mobile, and a fix on one version does not always carry to the other. If your site has more than one language, set the language for each version, and confirm that text fits in buttons after translation. Choose fonts that are easy to read at small sizes, and test body text on a phone in daylight if you can.

Planning a Wix project from the start

If you are starting a new Wix site, the best time to think about accessibility is before you pick a template. Open a few templates, tab through them and look at the contrast of the text. Choose one with simple navigation and generous spacing, and avoid heavy motion and busy backgrounds. Write your content first, with headings and short paragraphs, and then fit it into the layout. This avoids the situation where text is squeezed to fit a design.

Remember that Wix updates its editor often. Features, names and menus change, so use Wix's own help pages for the current steps, and use the tests in this guide, which stay the same, to confirm the result.

A Wix checklist

1. Run the Accessibility Wizard and work through every detected issue and manual task.
2. Scan the published pages with an outside checker such as the free Clir scan to see what visitors get.
3. Check headings use real heading elements in a logical order, not just large text.
4. Give every image a description or mark decorative images as such.
5. Label every form field and make required fields and errors clear (form labels).
6. Make sure links and buttons have clear names (guide).
7. Add an accessibility statement and keep it dated.
8. Retest after you add apps or redesign.

For a Wix site you build for clients, Agency Pass lets you assess several client sites from one workspace.