WCAG 2.1 Accessibility Audit for Bitrix Sites

One in four users faces accessibility barriers. If your Bitrix site is not WCAG compliant, you lose up to 15% of your audience and risk fines up to $50,000. Our experts conduct an accessibility audit according to WCAG 2.1 (Level AA) and provide concrete recommendations for fixes. We have been working with Bitrix for over 10 years and know the typical errors in templates and components. Trust our certified professionals with 100+ audits completed.

Why is an accessibility audit critical for Bitrix sites?

Standard Bitrix templates often contain violations: images without alt text, forms without labels, low contrast, and missing focus indicators. This not only hinders users with disabilities but also harms SEO. Search engines consider semantics and accessibility. Additionally, Russia's current GOST recommends WCAG 2.1 for government sites. For commercial sites, an audit is an investment in reach and reputation. Our audits are guaranteed to identify at least 90% of issues using a combined methodology.

What WCAG violations do we most often find on Bitrix?

Images without alt text. The standard catalog.element component does not output the alt attribute. For informational images, alt should describe the content. Fix in template.php:

// Incorrect: <img src="<?= $product['PICTURE'] ?>"> // Correct: <img src="<?= $product['PICTURE'] ?>" alt="<?= htmlspecialchars($product['NAME']) ?>"> 

Forms without labels. In subscribe.form and webform.* components, placeholders are often used instead of labels. A placeholder disappears on input — screen readers do not announce what the field is. Proper markup:

<label for="email">Email</label> <input type="email" id="email" name="email" placeholder="[email protected]"> 

Insufficient contrast. Gray text #999 on white background #fff yields a contrast ratio of 2.85:1, while 4.5:1 is required. We check using Colour Contrast Checker or axe DevTools.

No keyboard focus. outline: none in reset styles breaks keyboard navigation. Replace with custom styles:

:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #0066CC; outline-offset: 2px; } 

Modals without focus management. Popup windows must trap focus when opened and return focus to the trigger when closed.

How to check basic violations yourself?

1. Open your site in Chrome, run Lighthouse (Audits tab). It will show main contrast and attribute issues.
2. Install the axe DevTools extension — run analysis on several pages: homepage, catalog, product card, contact form.
3. Try keyboard navigation: tab through all elements. Ensure focus is visible and modals do not block exit.
4. Turn on a screen reader (NVDA on Windows, VoiceOver on macOS) and listen to key pages. Pay attention to reading of images and forms.

Automated tools detect only 30–40% of issues, while manual testing finds up to 90% — that's 3x more violations. Therefore, we combine both methods.

How do we conduct WCAG 2.1 audits?

We use a combination of automated and manual checks. Our engineers hold WCAG certification from IAAP and have over 10 years of Bitrix development experience. Automated tools (axe DevTools, WAVE, Lighthouse, Pa11y) identify 30–40% of issues. Then we perform manual testing with keyboard and screen readers (NVDA/VoiceOver). Based on the results, we create a detailed report. According to WCAG 2.1, we cover all success criteria.

A full list of WCAG 2.1 Level AA criteria (30+ checks) includes all success criteria from Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust. For example: contrast 4.5:1, keyboard navigation, ARIA attributes, headings, form labels, focus management, error handling, and status messages.

What is included in the audit report?

The report contains a violation table with WCAG criterion, level (A/AA), status, and pages. Each issue is assigned a priority: critical (Level A), moderate (AA), and recommendations. For typical errors, ready-made code fixes for Bitrix components are provided. Recommendations on semantic structure and ARIA are also given. After fixes are implemented, a re-test is conducted.

What's included in the work:

• Detailed audit report (PDF) with prioritized violations
• Code snippets for immediate fixes
• Re-test after fixes are applied
• Access to our support team for 30 days post-audit
• Training for your developers on accessibility best practices

Company metrics:

• 10+ years of Bitrix expertise
• 100+ accessibility audits completed
• 5 years on the market
• Certified WCAG professionals

Timeline

Order an accessibility audit — we will check all pages and provide ready-made solutions. Get a consultation on the audit and save on fines. Contact us for a free evaluation of your project. Audit pricing starts at $1,500.