Squarespace Accessibility: How to Fix Common Issues

Squarespace Looks Great. But Can Everyone Use It?

Squarespace is known for polished, design-forward websites. But good design and accessibility aren't the same thing. A gorgeous site that a blind user can't navigate or a keyboard-only user can't interact with is still a liability.

The good news: Squarespace handles some basics well. The platform generates clean HTML, includes responsive layouts, and recent templates have improved landmark structure. The bad news: your content choices, color settings, and custom code can easily break accessibility. Here's how to fix the most common issues.

What Squarespace Gets Right

Before we get into the problems, credit where it's due. Squarespace templates generally include:

• Semantic HTML structure (header, nav, main, footer)
• Responsive design that works on mobile
• Form fields with labels (in the built-in form blocks)
• A logical page structure with proper heading hierarchy in most templates

The issues almost always come from the content you add and the settings you choose, not the underlying platform.

1. Add Alt Text to Every Image

This is the #1 issue on nearly every Squarespace site. Images look great to sighted visitors but say nothing to screen reader users without alt text.

How to fix:

1. Click on any image block in the editor
2. Click the pencil icon (Edit)
3. Look for the "Image caption/alt text" field (sometimes under Design tab)
4. Write a short description of what the image shows
5. Save

For gallery blocks: Click the gallery, then click individual images to add alt text to each one. Yes, this is tedious for large galleries, but it matters.

For background images: Squarespace doesn't provide an alt text option for section background images. If the background image is decorative (a texture, a gradient), that's fine. If it contains meaningful content (text overlay on a photo), make sure the text is also available as actual HTML text, not just baked into the image.

2. Fix Your Color Contrast

Squarespace templates often use light grays, thin fonts, and low-contrast color schemes that look "clean" but fail WCAG contrast requirements.

How to fix:

1. Go to Design > Site Styles
2. Check your text colors against background colors
3. Use WebAIM's contrast checker to verify the ratio is at least 4.5:1
4. Pay special attention to: navigation links, footer text, button text, and any text over images

Common culprits on Squarespace:

• Light gray body text (looks elegant, fails contrast)
• White text on light background images (readable on some images, invisible on others)
• Button text that's too similar to the button background
• Footer links in a very light color

3. Use Headings Correctly

Squarespace's text editor lets you pick heading sizes (Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, etc.). Many people pick headings based on how big they want the text, not the document structure. This breaks navigation for screen reader users.

The rules:

• Each page gets one H1 (Squarespace usually sets this as the page title automatically)
• Main sections use H2
• Subsections within those use H3
• Never skip levels (don't go from H2 to H4)
• If you want smaller text, use the paragraph style and adjust the font size in Site Styles. Don't use a higher heading level just because it's smaller.

4. Make Links Visible

Links within body text need to be visually distinct from regular text. Color alone isn't enough because colorblind users can't see the difference.

How to fix:

1. Go to Design > Site Styles
2. Find the link styling options
3. Enable underlines for links, or make sure links have a non-color visual indicator (bold weight, border, etc.)

If your template doesn't expose link underline settings, add this in Design > Custom CSS:

a { text-decoration: underline; }

5. Check Your Forms

Squarespace's built-in form blocks generally include labels, which is good. But check these common issues:

• Don't hide labels. Some people disable the visible label and rely on placeholder text only. Placeholder text disappears when you start typing, leaving no indication of what the field is for.
• Required fields should be marked. Use the "Required" toggle in the form field settings.
• Error messages should be clear. Squarespace's default form validation is basic but functional. If you're using custom forms via code injection, make sure error messages explain what went wrong.

6. Custom Code and Embeds

If you've added custom code through Squarespace's Code Injection or Code Blocks, that code bypasses all of Squarespace's built-in accessibility features. You're responsible for making it accessible.

Common issues with custom code:

• Embedded iframes without title attributes (YouTube embeds, maps, forms)
• Custom buttons built with divs instead of <button> elements
• Pop-ups or modals that can't be closed with the Escape key
• Animations that can't be paused

For each iframe embed, add a title attribute: <iframe title="Contact form" ...>

7. Video and Audio Content

If you have videos on your Squarespace site, they need captions. This isn't optional for accessibility or for ADA compliance.

• YouTube/Vimeo embeds: Upload captions on the video platform. They'll display in the embedded player.
• Squarespace video blocks: There's no built-in caption feature. Use YouTube or Vimeo instead, where you can add proper captions.
• Background videos: If they're purely decorative (no narration, no meaningful content), they don't need captions. But they should have a pause button.

A Quick Checklist

Go through your Squarespace site and check these in order:

1. Every image has alt text (including gallery images)
2. Text has sufficient contrast against its background (4.5:1 minimum)
3. Headings follow a logical order (H1 > H2 > H3, no skipping)
4. Links are underlined or visually distinct from body text
5. Form fields have visible labels
6. Custom code and embeds have proper accessibility attributes
7. Videos have captions

If you're not sure where to start, run a scan first. It'll tell you exactly which issues exist on which pages, sorted by severity. Fix the critical ones first, then work your way down. Most Squarespace sites can reach a good compliance level in a weekend.

For more background on what accessibility standards mean and why they matter, check our plain-English WCAG guide. If you've been considering an overlay widget as a shortcut, read why overlays don't work first.