Unlocking the Power of ARIA: The Key to Building Inclusive Websites in 2025 – Shopify Reveals All!

The internet is primarily a visual medium. For a person with a visual impairment, most websites would be difficult, if not impossible, to navigate if it weren’t for specific accessibility features built right into HTML. That’s where Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) come in.

ARIA features tell screen readers what is on the page, allowing them to interpret web interfaces for people who are blind or visually impaired. It helps create a richer and more functional experience for people who use screen readers and other assistive technologies to access the web.

If you run a website, adding ARIA properties can make it easier for visitors to access and interact with your web content.

What is ARIA?

Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) is a set of attributes you can add to HTML elements on a website to improve accessibility for people who use assistive technology like screen readers. ARIA is especially useful for dynamic or custom web interfaces with interactive or changing content. It can tell a user what is a clickable button or dialog box, and it can explain the state of dynamic elements like drop-down menus.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the international standards body that governs web standards like HTML and CSS, also develops and maintains ARIA. A working group within the W3C called the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) focuses on making the internet easier to use for people with disabilities. The W3C is not a regulatory body, so it can’t enforce compliance, but many countries follow the recommendations from the W3C standards, including ARIA, to inform their accessibility laws and guidelines.

Why is web accessibility important?

Web accessibility is essential for people with disabilities who need to use the web, sometimes the only place to find important government and community resources. Effective accessibility allows people with visual, hearing, mobility, or cognitive disabilities to access the web as fully and independently as someone without disabilities.

Equal access to businesses for people with disabilities is a civil right in the US, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, and web accessibility can be as important as accessible bathrooms, curb cuts, braille-labeled public buildings, closed captions, and elevators. According to the US Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, “the ADA’s requirements apply to all the goods, services, privileges, or activities offered by public accommodations, including those offered on the web.” The Department notes that businesses may choose how they provide web accessibility, and ARIA is a common method.

Effective and thorough web accessibility benefits everyone, often helping people beyond the targeted accessibility need (e.g., low-bandwidth users and mobile device users). Plus, it contributes to cleaner, faster, and more user-friendly websites overall. From a business perspective, an accessible website also broadens your audience—15% of the world’s population has a recognized disability. When people find a business that considers their needs, they’re more likely to stay and shop.

How does ARIA impact accessibility?

ARIA improves accessibility. It lets screen readers and other assistive technologies understand what custom elements on a web page do by defining roles and behaviors. It can help describe dynamic changes, like when content updates without a page refresh. It also improves labels and makes the relationship between visual elements clearer. It communicates hidden or inactive states on the page so the screen reader doesn’t read them out loud if they’re not necessary. This makes the page less “cluttered” for the user.

How does ARIA work?

ARIA adds extra layers of meaning to web elements through three main components: roles, states, and properties. These components describe what an element is, what it’s doing, and how it relates to other elements, ensuring users get the full picture of what’s happening on a page.

Let’s break down how each of these ARIA elements functions in practice:

ARIA roles

ARIA roles define what an element is or what it’s supposed to do. For example, role=“button” tells a screen reader a specific HTML element behaves like a button. A modal window might be called out with role=“dialog,” while a group of navigational links can be labeled with role=“navigation.”

ARIA states

States describe conditions that can change with interaction. For example, aria-pressed=“true” means that a button element is toggled on. A collapsed menu state would be aria-expanded=“false,” while aria-disabled=“true” means the element defined is not interactive. You can update states with JavaScript to reflect changes in the user interface (UI).

ARIA properties

Properties are ARIA elements that provide additional information about elements so screen readers can have more context. The property aria-label creates an accessible name for a given element, while aria-labelledby can link to another element that then labels this one. The property aria-describedby will point to descriptive help text, and aria-controls indicates that the element controls a different one, like a button that controls a panel.

Let’s explore how you might use each in practice.

aria-label

Aria-label adds a custom label directly to an element, as in the following example. It’s used when there is no visible text.

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aria-labelledby

When you already have visible text acting as a heading or title, you might use aria-labelledby to point to another element’s ID that provides a label, like this:

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aria-describedby

If you want to add hints, explanations, or warnings that add extra context to a label, you could use aria-describedby, like so:

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ARIA best practices

ARIA is a powerful tool for enhancing web accessibility, but with great power comes great responsibility. While ARIA can make complex, dynamic content more accessible, misusing it can actually harm accessibility rather than help it by overcomplicating page elements. Here are some core guidelines to ensure you’re using ARIA in a way that supports users who rely on assistive technologies:

• Use native HTML first. There are plenty of basic HTML elements accessible to screen readers by default. It’s a best practice to use those first, and only use ARIA code when HTML doesn’t include an accessible element.
• Don’t add ARIA where it isn’t needed. The WC3 says, “No ARIA is better than bad ARIA.” That’s because misused ARIA code can confuse a screen reader or even entirely break the accessibility of the web page.
• Always update ARIA states dynamically. The ARIA states of an interactive element need to reflect the actual state of that element. You don’t want a dropdown that has been opened to still have code that says aria-expanded=“false” because someone using a screen reader won’t know that it has been opened. You can use JavaScript to update ARIA states as the UI changes.
• Make sure all ARIA references are valid. If you use an ARIA attribute like aria-labelledby or aria-describedby, you’re pointing to other elements. You want to make sure the ID you use is correct (and exists), or your screen reader will not get any usable information.
• Use pattern guides. Pattern guides (also known as design patterns or widget patterns) are detailed implementation guides for common interactive user interface components. They help ensure that custom widgets are keyboard accessible, screen reader compatible, built consistently (to reduce confusion), and designed with advanced user interface controls in mind. You can access these via the Patterns menu on the WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices website.