Alt text (alternative text) is a brief description of an image that can be read by screen readers, search engines, and other assistive technologies. Providing arlt text is crucial for ensuring your site's accessibility. Effective alt text should be concise and accurately describe the image's content.
Common Alt Text Errors and How to Correct Them
Here are some common alt text errors that Accessibility will flag, along with tips on how to correct them.
Missing Alt Text
Provide alt text unless the image is completely decorative and not needed to understand the page's content.
Alt Text contains only blank spaces
Provide a meaningful description or leave it empty if the image is purely decorative.
Alt Text has only one word
One word is likely to be insufficient to describe the content of the image. Make sure the alt text conveys who is doing what action and where, and include any text present in the image.
Alt text has more than 100 characters
The alt text might be too long. Ensure that it is as concise as possible while accurately describing the image.
Two or more images sharing the same alt text
If the images are different, their alt text should also be different. Provide unique descriptions for each image.
Alt Text starts with the word "image", "picture", or "photo"
It's unnecessary to provide words such as image or photo since screen readers already inform viewers that the item is an image. The alt text should directly describe the image content without redundant information.
Alt Text for images used as links
When using an image as a link, make sure to describe where the link leads to when clicked and not just the alt text for the image. This helps users understand the destination or actin associated with the image link.