EngineeringScoreAccessibility Small
Add alt text to images
Alt text is how screen reader users perceive the content of an image: without it, an image is either skipped silently or announced only by its filename, which is rarely meaningful. It is also read by search engine image crawlers, and in many jurisdictions accessible images are a legal requirement (e.g. under the ADA or EN 301 549), not just a best practice.
Why it matters
Images without alt text are invisible to screen reader users and to search engines, and in many jurisdictions accessible images are a legal requirement, not just best practice.
How to fix
- 1 Add a concise, descriptive alt attribute to every meaningful <img>.
- 2 Use alt="" for purely decorative images so screen readers skip them.
Common mistakes
- Leaving alt text off decorative images (spacers, background flourishes) instead of using alt="" to tell screen readers to skip them, which forces users to sit through announcements of meaningless images.
- Writing alt text that just restates "image of..." or the filename rather than describing what the image actually conveys in context.
- Forgetting images that are added dynamically via JavaScript or a CMS, which often get skipped in manual accessibility passes.
How to verify
- 1 Use a browser extension or automated tool (axe, Lighthouse) to scan for images missing an alt attribute.
- 2 Navigate the page with a screen reader and confirm meaningful images are announced with a useful description and decorative images are skipped.
- 3 Spot-check content added through the CMS or dynamically to confirm the same alt-text discipline was applied there too.
Related checks
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