How to fix nested interactive on Shopify Plus

Steps for Shopify Plus

1. In your Shopify admin, go to Online Store → Themes → your active theme → Actions → Edit code (or use GitHub integration if your theme is version-controlled).
2. Search all Liquid section and snippet files for nested interactive patterns (`<a ...><button`, `<button ...><a `, `<a ...><input`, etc.).
3. Edit each offending file: restructure so only one interactive element exists per intended action. Convert the outer or inner element to a non-interactive `<span>` or `<div>` as appropriate.
4. If using a headless or custom storefront (Hydrogen/Oxygen), edit the React/JSX component directly and apply the same single-interactive-element rule.
5. Save, deploy, and verify with axe DevTools browser extension or keyboard-only navigation.

What is nested interactive?

WCAG Success Criterion 4.1.2 requires that every user interface component has a name, role, and value that assistive technologies (like screen readers) can reliably understand. A "nested interactive" violation occurs when one interactive element — such as a `<button>`, `<a>`, `<select>`, or `<input>` — is placed inside another interactive element in the HTML. For example, putting a `<button>` inside an `<a>` tag, or an `<a>` link inside a `<button>`. HTML forbids this nesting, browsers handle it inconsistently, and screen readers and keyboard navigation can behave unpredictably. Adding `tabindex="-1"` or `aria-hidden="true"` to the inner element does NOT reliably hide it from assistive technology — screen readers can still discover and announce it, creating a confusing or broken experience.

Keyboard-only users and screen-reader users (a significant and legally protected segment of shoppers) can get stuck, confused, or blocked from completing a purchase when interactive controls are nested. In many jurisdictions — including the US (ADA), EU (EN 301 549), and UK (Equality Act) — inaccessible ecommerce stores face real legal exposure including complaints, audits, and lawsuits. Beyond legal risk, a broken checkout button or unclickable product link directly costs you conversions and revenue. Google also uses accessibility signals as a quality indicator, so fixing these issues can modestly improve crawlability and organic rankings over time.

See the complete Nested interactive guide for every platform and the full background.