WCAG 2.1 on Squarespace: complete compliance checklist

WCAG 2.1 in 60 seconds

WCAG 2.1 is the World Wide Web Consortium's accessibility standard published June 2018, adding 17 success criteria to WCAG 2.0 — primarily addressing mobile, low vision, and cognitive disabilities — and currently referenced as the conformance baseline by the European Accessibility Act and most procurement frameworks.

Squarespace accessibility — what you are starting with

Squarespace 7.1 templates have improved accessibility, but customisations (custom CSS, code injection) commonly introduce regressions.

WCAG 2.1 setup checklist for Squarespace

1. Choose a 7.1 template: 7.1 templates are more accessible than 7.0.

2. Maintain heading hierarchy: Use the block-level controls; do not visually mimic headings with text blocks.

3. Add alt text to every image: Squarespace supports alt text per image; mandatory practice.

Common WCAG 2.1 failures on Squarespace

• Decorative blocks without proper labelling

• Inaccessible animations

• Custom CSS overriding focus styles

• Image-block galleries with weak alt support

Putting it together

Combine WCAG 2.1's AA requirements with Squarespace's native tooling. Bake accessibility into your component library and editorial workflow; instrument axe-core in CI for regression.