EAA compliance for Wix: WCAG 2.1 AA checklist & fixes

What the EAA actually requires from a Wix site

Wix provides an Accessibility Wizard that automates several structural fixes (alt-text reminders, language attributes, skip links), so under the EAA the residual obligation is mostly the design customisations that bypass those defaults. EN 301 549 conformance forces you to correct custom hex colors that drop below 4.5:1 even after the wizard runs, and image-linked buttons that inherit no accessible name. Since Wix controls the underlying markup, the requirement is satisfied through the wizard, per-element settings, and Velo custom code rather than direct HTML editing.

Wix is the archetypal DIY platform for very small businesses and sole traders, so a large share of in-scope Wix sites are microenterprises that may fall under the EAA's services exemption for firms under 10 employees and €2M turnover. When the exemption does not apply, the exposure is a fixed lower-tier national fine, and the dominant real-world risk is simply that a non-technical owner never realises the wizard leaves contrast, focus, and third-party app accessibility unaddressed. The turnover-percentage penalties aimed at large retailers are essentially irrelevant to this user base.

Remediation is done by the site owner in the Wix editor: run the Accessibility Wizard first, then manually fix contrast on any custom colors, add aria-labels to image links, and use Velo to inject site-wide focus styles. Because the wizard handles only about 60% of structural items and skips contrast and keyboard validation, you must re-audit the live URL with an independent tool afterward. For a typical small Wix site this is a self-service afternoon of work rather than a developer engagement.

Top WCAG failures we see on Wix sites

Across hundreds of Wix scans, the same handful of issues show up over and over. None of them require ripping the theme apart — most are fixable in a few hours by someone comfortable in the platform's editor or template files.

• Custom design overrides break wizard fixes

  Setting a custom hex color in the editor can drop below 4.5:1 even after running the wizard.

  1.4.3 — Level AA

• Image-only buttons without aria-label

  Wix lets you drop images and link them; the link inherits no label by default.

  4.1.2 — Level A

Concrete code fixes for Wix

Below are copy-paste fixes for the most common Wix issues. They assume you have access to your theme code or the platform's custom-code injection panel. If you cannot edit code directly, share these snippets with whoever maintains the site — every one of them is a ten-minute change.

// Settings → Accessibility → Run Accessibility Wizard
// After running: re-test with a third-party tool — wizard does not catch contrast.

Tools and plugins worth installing first

• Wix Accessibility Wizard (built-in)

• Velo (custom code) for site-wide focus styles

How to scan a Wix site without missing anything

Automated scanners catch about 30–40% of WCAG issues; the rest need manual review. The good news is that the 30–40% includes the most expensive issues to remediate after the fact, so an automated scan is the cheapest way to get unstuck. Run one before you change a line of theme code.

• Test your live URL — preview can differ from published output.