How to fix label on BigCommerce

Steps for BigCommerce

1. Go to Storefront → My Themes → click 'Advanced' → 'Edit Theme Files' on your active theme.
2. Locate the relevant Handlebars template (e.g., templates/components/forms/, templates/pages/contact-us.html, templates/pages/auth/login.html).
3. Add a <label for="INPUT_ID"> element linked to each unlabeled <input> or <textarea>, ensuring the input has a matching id.
4. For the native search bar in the header, edit templates/components/header.html and add aria-label="Search" to the search input if a visible label is not shown.
5. Save changes and use the axe DevTools browser extension to verify on the live or preview storefront.

<label for="customer-email">Email address</label>
<input id="customer-email" type="email" name="email" autocomplete="email">

<!-- OR, when a visible label is not possible: -->
<input type="search" aria-label="Search products" name="q">

What is label?

Every form field on your website — such as a search box, email signup, checkout address field, or contact form — needs a label that clearly describes what information belongs there. A "label" is either a visible text description linked to the input, or a special code attribute (like `aria-label`) that screen readers can announce. When a form field has no label at all, assistive technology users hear something unhelpful like "edit text" with no context about what to type. WCAG Success Criterion 4.1.2 requires all interactive elements, including form inputs, to have a name that can be determined programmatically.

Unlabeled form fields directly block customers who use screen readers, voice-control software (like Dragon NaturallySpeaking), or keyboard-only navigation — they simply cannot use your checkout, contact, or signup forms. This is a recognized WCAG 2.1 Level A failure, meaning it is among the most serious accessibility violations and creates real legal exposure under the ADA (US), AODA (Canada), EAA (EU), and similar laws — several major retailers have faced lawsuits citing exactly this issue. Beyond legal risk, it also damages conversions: any customer who cannot complete a form cannot buy from you. Additionally, Google uses accessibility signals as part of its overall quality assessment, so fixing these issues supports your SEO health too.

See the complete Label guide for every platform and the full background.