Add Meaningful Alternative Text to Important Website Images in Novelty
Write alternative text according to what an image contributes in context, while leaving purely decorative images silent and describing functional images by their action.
Good alternative text starts with one question: What does this image contribute to the page?
The answer determines whether the image needs a description, needs text describing its function, or should be ignored by assistive technology.
Informative images need the useful information
If a photograph, diagram, screenshot, or illustration communicates something the surrounding text does not, its text alternative should convey the essential information.
The description does not need to narrate every visible detail.
It needs to preserve the part that matters in context.
Decorative images should stay quiet
An image used only for visual decoration does not need a spoken description.
W3C guidance recommends a null alternative, written as alt="", for decorative images so screen readers can ignore them.
Adding “decorative flourish” or a keyword-heavy description would create noise rather than accessibility.
Functional images describe the action
If an image itself acts as a link or button, the alternative text should identify the function.
A search icon used as the only content of a search button needs an accessible name that communicates “Search,” not a visual description such as “magnifying glass.”
The action matters more than the shape.
Avoid duplicating nearby text
If a caption or adjacent paragraph already communicates the same information, repeating it word-for-word in the alternative text can create redundant output.
Review the image in the context of the complete page.
Audit template images too
Logos, icons, card images, navigation graphics, and images generated through reusable templates can repeat across many pages.
One template mistake can therefore become a site-wide problem.
Alternative text is not an SEO keyword field. Its job is to communicate image meaning or function accurately.
For a related next step, see Make Website Link Text Understandable in Monticello and Reduce Oversized Website Images That Slow Pages in Wyaconda.
For authoritative guidance on this subject, see the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
See Also
Switchboard can help Novelty and Northeast Missouri businesses audit important images and repair missing, redundant, or misleading text alternatives.
- Categories: Website Performance & Accessibility
- Tags: #Images, #Content Clarity, #Accessibility