WordPress, Webflow and Shopify, an accessibility audit
How three of the most-deployed Australian content management systems handle headings, focus, landmarks, alternative text and form accessibility out of the box.
This audit covers the out-of-the-box accessibility behaviour of three platforms that account for the majority of small-to-mid Australian content sites: WordPress (with the Twenty Twenty-Four default theme and core block editor), Webflow (with a default starter template), and Shopify (with the Dawn 14 theme). The audit is functional, not exhaustive: we tested the patterns content teams actually deploy.
Methodology
Each platform was set up from a clean install, populated with a typical small business content set (homepage, about, services, blog with three posts, contact form), and audited against WCAG 2.2 Level AA using axe DevTools 4.8, manual keyboard-only navigation, and VoiceOver on Safari iOS. Tests run in November 2025.
Headings and document structure
WordPress (Twenty Twenty-Four). The default theme produces correct H1, H2, H3 hierarchy. The block editor enforces a single H1 per page when the post title is in the heading position. Content authors can still create skipped heading levels in the body, which is the most common audit failure on WordPress sites.
Webflow. Heading levels are set per element by the designer, with no built-in enforcement. Sites we audit on Webflow frequently have multiple H1s per page or H4 elements appearing before any H2. Webflow's audit panel flags this but does not prevent it.
Shopify Dawn. Strong heading discipline. Section schemas in the theme assign correct heading levels by default, and product pages produce a clean H1 to H3 outline. Custom sections added by stores can drift, but the baseline is good.
Focus and keyboard navigation
WordPress. Tab order generally matches visual order. Skip links present in default themes. Focus indicators are visible but rely on the default browser focus ring, which fails WCAG 2.4.13 in Safari and on dark themes.
Webflow. Skip links are not included by default; designers must add them manually. Custom focus styles must be set per project; many production sites disable focus rings via "outline: none" in custom CSS, breaking keyboard accessibility.
Shopify Dawn. Skip link present, focus indicators consistent and visible, focus order matches visual flow on all default templates.
Landmarks and ARIA
WordPress. Default themes use HTML5 landmarks (header, nav, main, aside, footer). Block editor exposes role attributes on standard blocks.
Webflow. Designers can mark divs as semantic elements but it is not the default. Many Webflow sites we audit are built entirely from divs with no landmarks, requiring screen-reader users to navigate without structural aids.
Shopify Dawn. Full HTML5 landmark structure on every default template.
Forms
WordPress. Core comment forms have programmatic labels and required-field marking. Plugins (Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms, WPForms) vary widely. WPForms 1.8 and Gravity Forms 2.8 produce accessible markup; older versions of CF7 do not.
Webflow. The native form element produces correctly-associated labels but does not handle inline error announcement. Multi-step forms require manual ARIA work.
Shopify Dawn. Native checkout (the part most stores cannot customise) is fully accessible. Custom contact forms vary by theme; Dawn's are well-built.
Alternative text on images
WordPress. Block editor prompts for alt text on every image insertion but does not enforce it. Site-level audits commonly find 30 to 50 percent of images missing alt text on production WordPress sites.
Webflow. CMS image fields can be configured with required alt text fields. Visual designers can still skip alt text on background images, hero images, and inline assets if they choose.
Shopify Dawn. Product image alt text defaults to product title if not set, which is usually acceptable. The admin prompts but does not enforce.
Summary
| Criterion | WordPress | Webflow | Shopify Dawn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heading structure (out of box) | Good | Author-dependent | Excellent |
| Focus indicators | Browser default (weak) | Designer-set, often disabled | Strong, consistent |
| Skip links | Yes | No (manual) | Yes |
| Landmarks | Yes | Manual | Yes |
| Form patterns | Plugin-dependent | Manual ARIA | Strong |
| Alt text enforcement | Prompted, not enforced | Configurable | Defaulted from title |
The honest summary: Shopify Dawn produces the most accessible site out of the box, WordPress with a current default theme is workable but author discipline carries most of the load, and Webflow requires the most deliberate accessibility work but offers the most control once that work is done.
Caveat
This is a baseline audit. Production sites diverge significantly from defaults, and every site we audit (across all three platforms) ends up with platform-independent issues introduced by content authors, custom code, third-party integrations and design decisions. Platform choice is the floor; team discipline is the ceiling.