HubSpot Accessibility Deep Dive: Mastering ARIA Labels for Forms and Menus

Hey ESHOPMAN community! As your go-to experts for all things HubSpot and e-commerce, we're always digging into the nitty-gritty details that make your online presence shine. Today, we're tackling a topic that's often overlooked but critically important: web accessibility, specifically focusing on ARIA labels within HubSpot forms and menus.

We recently saw a fantastic discussion pop up in the HubSpot Community about this very challenge. It highlighted a common pain point for developers and marketers alike: how do you add specific ARIA attributes when HubSpot dynamically generates much of your site's HTML?

The Accessibility Challenge: Forms and Menus

The original poster in the community thread was working on an accessibility project, aiming to make an existing HubSpot site compliant. Their audit flagged an issue with HubSpot form fields: input elements with only a placeholder attribute, but without an aria-assigned role, weren't allowed. This is a crucial point for screen readers and assistive technologies to understand the purpose of an input field.

They shared their code for a blog subscription form:

          {% blog_subscribe "blog_subscription_form" select_blog="default", no_title=true, resp, label="Blog Email Subscription", overrideable=False, no_wrapper=true %}
        

The problem? The tag itself isn't directly in this code; it's added by HubSpot via the {% blog_subscribe %} command. So, how do you add aria-labelledby or aria-label to something you don't directly control?

The original poster then pointed out a similar issue with HubSpot menus. They showed their HubL code for a footer menu:

      {% menu "footer_menu"
          site_map_name="Footer - 2022",
          overrideable=False,
          root_type="site_root",
          flyouts="false",
          max_levels="2",
          flow="horizontal",
          label="Footer Links Menu"
        %}
    

And then the corresponding generated HTML from the live site:

The core of the problem is clear: how do you modify generated HTML to meet specific accessibility requirements when you don't have direct access to the underlying markup?

Community Insights & Solutions

A HubSpot Senior Community Moderator jumped in to tag some top experts for their insights, which is always a great sign of a healthy community!

One expert respondent offered valuable direction, suggesting that for forms, the solution lies in HubSpot's form customization capabilities. They specifically referenced the legacy forms documentation, noting that the blog subscription module likely uses similar underlying form submission mechanics. This implies that while the {% blog_subscribe %} HubL tag abstracts much of the form creation, there are deeper customization options available for HubSpot forms that might allow more granular control over the markup.

Tackling Forms: The Customization Route

For forms like the blog subscription, where HubSpot generates the element, directly adding aria-label or aria-labelledby via the HubL module isn't an option. The recommended path from the community expert is to explore HubSpot's form customization features. This typically means:

1. Using Custom Coded Forms: If the default HubSpot form module doesn't provide enough control, you might need to create a custom form module. This allows you to write the HTML for each field, including the tags, and then integrate them with HubSpot's form processing via JavaScript. This gives you full control over ARIA attributes.
2. Leveraging Form Field Options: Check if the specific form field types (e.g., email field in a blog subscription form) allow you to specify a label that HubSpot then uses to generate an accessible tag and link it to the with for="id", or directly adds ARIA attributes. Often, providing a clear 'label' for the field within the HubSpot form editor or HubL module is the first step.
3. Client-Side JavaScript (Advanced): As a last resort, if direct HubL or form settings don't work, you can use JavaScript to modify the DOM after the form has loaded, adding the necessary ARIA attributes to the elements. Be cautious with this approach, as it can be fragile if HubSpot's generated markup changes.

Addressing Menus: Understanding HubSpot's Output

For menus, the situation is slightly different. Looking at the generated code, we can see that HubSpot does add some ARIA attributes by default:

• The main menu wrapper has role="navigation" and aria-label="Navigation Menu".
• The
  elements have role="menu".
  • Individual
  • elements have role="none", and the links within them have role="menuitem".

  This suggests HubSpot is already making an effort towards accessibility with its menu module. If your audit flags specific sub-elements or requires additional ARIA attributes not covered by default, you might need to:

  1. Create a Custom Menu Module: Similar to forms, a custom menu module would give you complete control over the HTML structure and all ARIA attributes. This is the most robust solution for highly specific accessibility needs.
  2. Use JavaScript for Enhancement: You could write JavaScript to select specific menu items and add or modify their ARIA attributes after the page loads.

  Why Accessibility Matters for Your E-commerce Store

  For any business, but especially for an e-commerce store, accessibility isn't just a nice-to-have; it's a necessity. When you're looking for the best web builder for an online store, consider platforms like HubSpot that offer powerful tools but also require you to be diligent about accessibility. An accessible store:

  • Reaches a Wider Audience: Including people with disabilities, expanding your potential customer base.
  • Improves SEO: Search engines favor accessible sites, boosting your visibility.
  • Enhances User Experience: A well-structured, accessible site benefits all users, not just those with disabilities.
  • Ensures Legal Compliance: Avoiding potential lawsuits and upholding ethical standards.

  ESHOPMAN Team Comment

  This community discussion perfectly illustrates the tension between platform abstraction and granular control. While HubSpot provides incredible convenience by generating much of the underlying HTML, deep accessibility requirements often demand a more hands-on approach. We believe that for mission-critical elements like forms and navigation in an e-commerce context, relying solely on default platform output isn't always enough. HubSpot users, especially those running stores, should be prepared to leverage custom modules or client-side scripting to ensure full WCAG compliance and provide an inclusive shopping experience.

  Ultimately, ensuring your HubSpot site is fully accessible means understanding where the platform provides control and where you might need to step in with custom code. It's a journey, not a destination, but one that pays dividends in user experience, reach, and legal peace of mind. Keep those accessibility audits coming, and don't be afraid to dig into the code or leverage the HubSpot Community for support!