How to fix definition list on Shopify

Steps for Shopify

1. Go to Online Store → Themes → click the three-dot menu next to your active theme → Edit code.
2. Use the search box (top of the file tree) to search for '<dl' across all template files (.liquid). Common locations: product description in 'sections/product-template.liquid' or 'snippets/product-specs.liquid', and FAQ sections.
3. Open each file containing a `<dl>`, locate the malformed markup, and correct the child elements so only `<dt>`, `<dd>`, or wrapping `<div>`s appear directly inside `<dl>`.
4. If the content is entered via the Rich Text Editor in the theme customizer (Customize → a content block), switch the block to HTML/Code view and fix the raw markup there.
5. Save each file, then preview the page and rerun your accessibility scanner to verify the fix.

<!-- ✅ CORRECT: valid <dl> structure -->
<dl>
  <div>
    <dt>Material</dt>
    <dd>100% Organic Cotton</dd>
  </div>
  <div>
    <dt>Weight</dt>
    <dd>180 gsm</dd>
  </div>
</dl>

<!-- ❌ INCORRECT: stray <p> and <span> directly inside <dl> -->
<dl>
  <p>Product Specs</p>      <!-- not allowed here -->
  <span>Material</span>    <!-- not a <dt> -->
  <dd>100% Organic Cotton</dd>
</dl>

What is definition list?

A definition list (`<dl>`) is a special HTML structure designed to pair terms with their descriptions — for example, a product spec sheet listing "Material: Cotton" or "Size: Medium". The rules for what can go inside a `<dl>` are strict: it may only contain `<dt>` (the term) and `<dd>` (the description) elements, optionally wrapped in `<div>` groupings. When a theme or page builder drops in extra tags, plain text, or skips required children, the list becomes "malformed." WCAG Success Criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) requires that information conveyed visually through structure also be conveyed correctly in the underlying code so assistive technologies can interpret it.

Screen readers used by blind or low-vision shoppers rely on correct HTML structure to announce lists properly — for example, "term 1 of 3: Material, definition: Cotton." A malformed `<dl>` breaks that announcement, so the information becomes meaningless noise or is skipped entirely, directly harming the shopping experience for those customers. From a legal standpoint, WCAG 1.3.1 is a Level A criterion — the baseline — meaning this is one of the failures most likely to appear in an accessibility audit, complaint, or lawsuit (ADA Title III, EN 301 549, UK Equality Act). Search engines also use semantic HTML to understand your page content; clean, structured markup around product details like specifications and FAQs can improve how that content is indexed and displayed in rich results.

See the complete Definition list guide for every platform and the full background.