Getting Started with Accessibility on Patrol

Last updated: September 25, 2026

We will go through everything in this article with you during your implementation calls with your Patrol Customer Success Manager. If you would rather set things up on your own, or you want a reference to come back to after your calls, here are the guidelines to get you started.

If you also have Patrol's Privacy tool (CIPA), Getting Started with Privacy on Patrol is the getting started guide for that product.

How implementation works

Patrol accessibility implementation takes two calls of about 30 minutes each. On the first call, you get oriented in the dashboard and deploy your first round of accessibility fixes. On the second call, you deploy the code-level fixes, kick off visual fixes, and set up third party outreach. If added, our Privacy tool (CIPA) setup is usually done alongside these calls. After that, a short monthly sync with your Patrol CSM keeps new fixes deployed as your site evolves.

The steps below follow that same order. Each one starts from the Patrol app inside your Shopify admin.

Step 1: Get oriented with your Patrol dashboard

The dashboard is where you will start all of your deployments.

  1. Open the Patrol app in your Shopify admin. Under Pending Actions, you will see three types of fixes:

    • Code Accessibility Fixes are changes to your theme code. Patrol adds accessible code and removes inaccessible code. These accessibility changes are not widget overlays and do not change how your site looks.

    • Shopify Content Accessibility Fixes cover content that lives outside your theme, such as articles, pages, products, and image alt text. Patrol edits and publishes these to your site directly from the app.

    • Visual Fixes are changes that need your input, such as color contrast or anything that will affect your site visually.

  2. Check the Compliance Overview on the right. Please note that a score of 0% at the start does not mean your site is 0% compliant. It simply means none of the violations Patrol has found have been resolved yet, so it works as a progress tracker rather than a score.

  3. Scroll down to the Accessibility Audit section. Violations are grouped by risk level (WCAG tier) so you know where to spend your time:

    • High risk violations are WCAG Level A.

    • Medium risk violations are WCAG Level AA.

    • Low risk violations are WCAG Level AAA. These are best practices and nice to have, but they are the lowest priority.

  4. Note the View Third Party Violations link in the bottom right corner of this section. You will come back to it in Step 6.

Large violation element counts are normal. For example, if the same issue appears in your footer, Patrol counts it on every page, so the number appears high. However, in Patrol, these issues are grouped so that you can easily fix them in one place rather than each instance.

Step 2: Publish your accessibility statement and activate the app embed

An accessibility statement shows visitors that you are committed to an accessible site, and it gives them an email address to contact if they run into a problem. It is also a useful record that people had a way to reach you.

  1. In the left menu of the Patrol app, click Accessibility Statement.

  2. Confirm the contact email address in the accessibility statement is the one you want visitors to use.

    • You always have the ability to edit this statement later if you would like to personalize it.

  3. Click Create page in the top right.

  4. In Shopify, go to Content and open the Menu editor, then select the footer menu you want to use. Typically, people add this in the 'Contact Us' or 'About' footer menus.

  5. Click Add menu item, choose Pages, select Accessibility Statement, and click Save.

  6. Refresh your storefront and confirm the link shows up in your footer.

  7. Activate the app embed if Patrol prompts you to. Turn the Patrol app on in the theme editor tab that opens and click Save.

Step 3: Deploy content fixes and set your brand settings

Content fixes do not change how your site looks. They make your articles, pages, products, and images easier to use with a screen reader, and although our first priority is accessibility, better alt text also helps SEO.

  1. From the dashboard, click Review and Deploy under Shopify Content Accessibility Fixes, then choose a fix type such as Articles, Pages, or Products.

  2. Click Begin interactive deployment.

  3. Scroll up to see the violation types Patrol is fixing. Select one and use Learn more on the right for a description, the risk level, and how the fix works.

  4. Click Code to see exactly what Patrol is changing, then click Preview and slide the comparison bar back and forth.

    • You may notice a slight color difference on one side of the bar. That is only there to show before and after. There should be no major visual changes here.

  5. Spot-check a few items. If they look good, select all (bottom right) and click Deploy (bottom right). Wait on the page until the confetti appears to confirm it went through.

  6. Once you'vee completed the Articles, Pages, and Products, go back and open Image Alt Text Fixes, then switch to Table view in the top right. It shows your existing alt text next to what Patrol recommends.

    • Patrol may make alt text shorter, longer, or fill it in where it was empty. Large stores can have thousands of images, and the first deployment can take a while. Wait on the page to ensure that it went through.

  7. Click into settings on the left menu under Patrol and navigate to the 'Profile and Theme' menu within the settings

  • Shop description is a free-text area for your mission statement or brand voice. Patrol uses it to write better alt text.

  • Brand keywords are terms you want Patrol to overindex on. For example, if you sell cold brew, adding it as a keyword keeps the AI from calling it iced coffee. This is not a necessity, but if we run into an instance like the cold brew example mentioned above, this would be a good use case for it.

  • Both are optional, but they improve results.

New images and content will show up as new fixes over time. This is normal, and it shows your site is being improved continuously.

Step 4: Deploy code accessibility fixes

Code fixes are changes to your theme, so they go through a release you review before anything reaches customers. Choose one of two paths. Most customers use the Shopify theme path. If a developer on your team manages your theme in GitHub, use the GitHub path instead.

Option A: Shopify release theme

  1. From the dashboard, click Review and Deploy under Code Accessibility Fixes.

  2. Click Prepare Release Theme. The list of files shows every file Patrol is updating. These changes are for screen readers and other assistive tools and should not change how your site looks.

    • Shopify limits how many themes a store can have. If you are at the limit, delete a few old Patrol release themes first. Do not delete or edit the preview theme labeled do not duplicate or publish, because Patrol needs it.

  3. In Shopify, go to Online Store and then Themes, and open the new Patrol release theme with today's date.

  4. Preview it to make sure everything looks visually okay. Add a product to your cart and make sure you can get all the way to checkout.

  5. When everything looks right, publish the theme. You can rename it first if you like.

  • If you make your own theme changes, duplicate the newest Patrol release theme and build from that one so the fixes carry forward.

Option B: GitHub pull request

  1. From the dashboard, click Review and Deploy under Code Accessibility Fixes.

  2. Click Create GitHub Pull Request and connect your GitHub account.

  3. Select your repository and the base branch, which should be your live theme. You can also assign a reviewer.

  4. Review and merge the pull request like any other change to your site.

    • Be sure to have your developer join your second implementation call if you take this path.

Keeping code fixes up to date

Patrol always audits your most recently published live theme. Because a site that keeps changing is a moving target, we recommend deploying new fixes during our monthly check-in once a month. These calls typically do not take the full 30 minutes, but we like to block off the full time for if there are any questions. If not, we are always happy to give you time back!

Step 5: Work through visual fixes

Visual fixes are the changes Patrol does not automatically deploy for you because they affect how your site looks and may require manual input. Patrol works as a project tracker here: it shows you what to fix and where, you make the changes in your Shopify settings and theme, and then you mark it complete. Most customers chip away at these over time, and it helps to involve a developer for the more complex ones.

Color contrast

  1. From the dashboard, click Review and Deploy under Visual Fixes, then click Get Started and open Color Contrast.

  2. Violations are grouped, so one color choice can fix many places. Each group shows its current contrast ratio. Text must reach a ratio of 4.5 to pass WCAG AA. AAA is 7 and is a best practice.

  3. Click Open in Preview to see the exact element on your site.

  4. Choose a new text color and background color. Patrol lists colors already used on your store, and it shows whether your choice passes AA and AAA.

  5. Click Save. This only saves your selected colors in Patrol. It does not change your site.

  6. If you navigate back to the color contrasts page in Patrol, and refresh you should be able to see your selected colors appear here.

  7. In your Shopify theme editor, copy the hex code to update those colors, then return to Patrol and mark the group as Fixed.

  8. When you have finished, click Revalidate color contrast issues. Patrol rescans and clears anything that is now resolved. If something wasn't resolved, it will show up here.

Other visual fixes you may see include missing H1 headings, placeholder links, duplicate links, and pause controls for autoplay videos. Open any violation and use Learn more for the rule and an example of good and bad code. If you would rather have someone from the Patrol handle these for you for an additional fee, ask your Customer Success Manager about options.

Step 6: Review third party violations

Some accessibility issues come from third party apps and scripts on your site. To read more about handling Third Party Violations, please view this help center article:

How does Patrol handle third-party apps?

Step 7: Deployment history and monthly upkeep

Every fix you deploy is recorded by Patrol, so you always have an audit trail and a way to undo a change.

  1. In the left menu of the Patrol app, click Deployment History.

  2. Click View deploy on any deployment to see a change log of every edit and view the change on your site.

  3. To undo a deployment, open it and click the red Rollback button at the bottom. You can roll back anything if a change does not look right.

  4. Click Export all PDFs to download an easy-to-read record of every change you have made. This is helpful if your legal team ever asks for proof of the accessibility work your team has done.

After your implementation calls, your Customer Success Manager will set up a recurring monthly sync where you do these deploys together. It is scheduled for 30 minutes, but most sessions take about 10, and the rest is time for your questions.

If you decide to handle any of these calls async, this will be your short monthly routine:

  • Open Pending Actions in your Patrol dashboard and deploy any new code and content fixes.

  • Work through any few visual fixes and mark them as fixed.

  • If you have Patrol's Privacy Privacy tool, check the Privacy tab for anything under Needs action.

Need help?

Reach out to your Patrol Customer Success Manager any time, and we can walk through any step on a call.