What is Alt Text? Complete Image SEO Guide [2026]

Q: What is empty alt text (alt='')?

Empty alt text tells screen readers to skip the image entirely. Use this for purely decorative images that don't add information, like background patterns or decorative borders.

Q: How do I check if my images have alt text?

Right-click an image and select 'Inspect' to view its code. For site-wide audits, use tools like Screaming Frog, WAVE, or Semrush Site Audit to find all images missing alt text.

Alt text (alternative text) is a written description of an image that appears in place of the image if it fails to load and is read aloud by screen readers for visually impaired users. Also known as “alt attributes,” “alt descriptions,” or “alt tags,” this HTML attribute serves two critical purposes: making your website accessible to people with disabilities and helping search engines understand image content for better image SEO.

Every image on your website should have descriptive alt text that accurately conveys what the image shows. Beyond accessibility compliance, well-written alt text helps your images rank in Google Images, drives additional organic traffic, and provides context when images don’t load properly. Alt text is a fundamental element of on-page SEO.

Key Takeaways: Alt Text

Definition: Alt text is an HTML attribute that describes image content for screen readers and search engines
Accessibility: Required for ADA/WCAG compliance; helps visually impaired users understand images
SEO benefit: Helps images rank in Google Images and provides context for page content
Best practice: Be descriptive and specific (125 characters or less), include keywords naturally
When to skip: Decorative images that add no information can have empty alt attributes (alt=””)

6 Rules for Writing Effective Alt Text

Be descriptive and specific – Describe exactly what the image shows
Keep it concise – Aim for 125 characters or less
Include keywords naturally – Only when relevant to the image
Don’t start with “image of” or “picture of” – Screen readers already announce it’s an image
Consider context – Describe the image in relation to surrounding content
Skip decorative images – Use empty alt (alt=””) for purely decorative elements

What Is Alt Text?

Alt text (alternative text) is the text description added to an image’s HTML tag using the alt attribute. It appears when an image cannot be displayed and is read by screen reader software to describe images to blind or visually impaired users. Search engines also use alt text to understand image content since they cannot “see” images the way humans do. The proper HTML syntax is: <img src=”image.jpg” alt=”Description of the image”>.

2.2B People with Vision Impairments

22% Google Searches Are Image Searches

125 Characters Recommended Max

55% Images Missing Alt Text

Egochi, America’s #1 digital marketing agency headquartered in New York City, optimizes alt text for both accessibility and SEO on every client project. From our offices in NYC, Milwaukee, Madison, and Miami, we’ve audited thousands of websites and consistently find that proper alt text implementation improves Google Images rankings and overall organic visibility.

What is alt text used for?

Alt text is used for two primary purposes: web accessibility and SEO. For accessibility, alt text provides descriptions of images for people using screen readers or who have images disabled. For SEO, alt text helps search engines understand image content, which improves rankings in Google Images and adds context to your page. Alt text also displays when images fail to load due to slow connections or broken links.

How do I write good alt text?

Write good alt text by describing the image specifically and concisely. Focus on what the image shows and why it matters in context. Keep descriptions under 125 characters when possible. Include relevant keywords naturally, but don’t stuff them. Avoid starting with “image of” or “photo of” since screen readers already announce it’s an image. For complex images like charts, provide the key data or conclusion.

Does alt text help SEO?

Yes, alt text helps SEO in several ways. It helps images rank in Google Images, which accounts for 22% of all Google searches. Alt text provides additional context about your page content, helping search engines understand what your page is about. Well-optimized images can drive significant traffic through image search. See our guide on image SEO for more optimization strategies.

Why Alt Text Matters
How to Write Alt Text
Alt Text Examples: Good vs Bad
How to Add Alt Text (HTML)
Alt Text for Different Image Types
Tools for Checking Alt Text
Alt Text Optimization from Egochi
Frequently Asked Questions

Why Alt Text Matters

Alt text serves multiple important functions for your website:

♿

Accessibility Compliance

Required for ADA, WCAG 2.1, and Section 508 compliance. Ensures visually impaired users can understand your content.

🔍

Image SEO Rankings

Helps images appear in Google Images search results, driving additional organic traffic to your site.

📄

Page Context

Provides additional signals to search engines about page content, supporting overall SEO relevance.

📷

Fallback Display

Shows descriptive text when images fail to load due to slow connections, errors, or user settings.

👥

User Experience

Improves experience for all users, including those on slow connections or with images disabled.

⚖

Legal Protection

Reduces risk of accessibility lawsuits, which have increased significantly in recent years.

How to Write Alt Text

Follow these guidelines to write effective alt text for any image:

Alt Text Example

[Image: Golden retriever catching a frisbee]

Good Alt Text

“Golden retriever jumping to catch a red frisbee in a park”

Why It Works

Specific breed, action, object color, and location. Paints a clear picture without unnecessary words.

<img src="dog-frisbee.jpg" alt="Golden retriever jumping to catch a red frisbee in a park">

Alt Text Best Practices

Be Specific and Descriptive

Describe exactly what the image shows. “Dog” is vague; “Golden retriever puppy sleeping on a blue couch” is specific.

Keep It Concise

Aim for 125 characters or less. Screen readers may cut off longer text. Be thorough but efficient with words.

Include Keywords Naturally

If your target keyword relates to the image, include it. Don’t force keywords into unrelated images.

Consider Context

The same image might need different alt text depending on the page topic and surrounding content.

Skip Redundant Phrases

Don’t start with “image of” or “photo of.” Screen readers already announce it’s an image.

Use Empty Alt for Decorative Images

Purely decorative images (borders, spacers) should have alt=”” so screen readers skip them.

Describe Charts and Graphs

For data visualizations, describe the key takeaway or trend rather than every data point.

Don’t Duplicate Caption Text

If an image has a visible caption, alt text should complement, not repeat, that information.

Alt Text Examples: Good vs Bad

Learn from these examples showing effective and ineffective alt text:

Product Image

Good

Image: Nike running shoes on white background

alt=”Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 40 men’s running shoes in black and white”

Why it works: Includes brand, model, product type, and key attributes. Helpful for both users and SEO.

Product Image

Bad

Image: Nike running shoes on white background

alt=”shoes” or alt=”IMG_4532.jpg” or alt=”nike shoes buy now best running shoes cheap”

Why it fails: Too vague, file name, or keyword stuffed. None of these help users or search engines.

Team Photo

Good

Image: Group of employees in office

alt=”Egochi digital marketing team collaborating in NYC office”

Why it works: Describes who, what, and where. Adds context relevant to the page (about page, careers).

Infographic

Good

Image: Bar chart showing traffic growth

alt=”Bar chart showing 150% increase in organic traffic over 12 months”

Why it works: Conveys the key data point. Users who can’t see the chart still get the essential information.

Decorative Image

Correct Handling

Image: Decorative divider line

alt=””

Why it works: Empty alt attribute tells screen readers to skip this image. It adds no informational value.

Logo Link

Good

Image: Company logo that links to homepage

alt=”Egochi – Return to homepage”

Why it works: When an image is a link, alt text should describe the link destination or action.

How to Add Alt Text (HTML)

Alt text is added using the alt attribute in the HTML img tag:

<!-- Basic image with alt text -->
<img src="photo.jpg" alt="Description of the image">

<!-- Image with additional attributes -->
<img 
  src="team-photo.jpg"
  alt="Marketing team brainstorming in conference room"
  width="800"
  height="600"
  loading="lazy"
>

<!-- Decorative image (empty alt) -->
<img src="decorative-border.png" alt="">

Adding Alt Text by Platform

Platform	How to Add Alt Text
WordPress (Block Editor)	Click image → Settings panel → Alt Text field
WordPress (Classic)	Click image → Edit → Alternative Text field
Shopify	Products → Edit → Click image → Add alt text
Wix	Click image → Settings icon → What’s in the image?
Squarespace	Click image → Edit → Image tab → Alt Text / Filename
HTML	Add `alt="description"` attribute to img tag

Pro Tip

When adding images to WordPress, fill in the alt text field in the Media Library when you first upload. This saves time and ensures every use of that image has alt text automatically applied.

Alt Text for Different Image Types

Different types of images require different alt text approaches:

Image Type	Alt Text Approach	Example
Product Photos	Brand, product name, key attributes, color	“Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch laptop in Space Gray”
People/Portraits	Who they are, what they’re doing, context	“CEO John Smith speaking at company conference”
Charts/Graphs	Type of chart, key data point or trend	“Pie chart showing 45% market share for Company X”
Screenshots	What the screenshot shows, relevant details	“Google Analytics dashboard showing traffic sources”
Icons	What the icon represents or its function	“Search icon” or “Shopping cart with 3 items”
Logos (linked)	Company name and link destination	“Egochi logo – Return to homepage”
Decorative	Empty alt attribute	alt=””
Complex Images	Summary + link to full description	“Flowchart of SEO process. Full description below.”

When to Use Empty Alt Text (alt=””)

Use empty alt attributes only for purely decorative images that add no information: background patterns, decorative borders, spacer images, and icons that are already labeled with adjacent text. Screen readers will skip these images entirely. Never leave the alt attribute missing; always include it, even if empty.

Common Alt Text Mistakes to Avoid

Missing alt attributes: Leaving images without any alt attribute. Always include alt, even if empty for decorative images.

Using file names: alt=”IMG_2847.jpg” or alt=”header-banner-final-v2″ provides no useful information.

Keyword stuffing: alt=”SEO services best SEO company SEO agency New York SEO” is spammy and unhelpful.

Starting with “image of”: Screen readers already announce it’s an image. “Image of a dog” is redundant.

Being too vague: alt=”photo” or alt=”banner” tells users nothing about the actual image content.

Identical alt text for different images: Every image should have unique alt text describing that specific image.

Alt Text Audit Checklist

✓ All informational images have descriptive alt text
✓ Decorative images have empty alt attributes (alt=””)
✓ Alt text is under 125 characters where possible
✓ No alt text starts with “image of” or “photo of”
✓ Keywords are included naturally where relevant
✓ Product images include brand, name, and key attributes
✓ Linked images describe the link destination
✓ Complex images have adequate descriptions or long descriptions
✓ No file names or placeholder text used as alt text
✓ Each image has unique, specific alt text

Tools for Checking Alt Text

These tools help you audit and manage alt text across your website:

Screaming Frog

Crawls site, finds missing alt text

WAVE

Free accessibility checker

Semrush Site Audit

Identifies missing alt attributes

Ahrefs Site Audit

Image optimization issues

Chrome DevTools

Inspect individual images

axe DevTools

Accessibility testing extension

Lighthouse

Google’s built-in accessibility audit

Yoast SEO

WordPress image optimization

For more SEO tools, see our technical SEO tools guide.

Alt Text Optimization from Egochi

Egochi, America’s #1 digital marketing agency headquartered in New York City, provides complete image optimization including alt text as part of our SEO services.

Full Image Audits: Our SEO audits identify every image missing alt text, using file names, or with poor descriptions. We prioritize high-value images and provide optimized alt text recommendations.

Accessibility Compliance: Beyond SEO, we ensure your alt text meets WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards. This protects your business from accessibility lawsuits while improving user experience for all visitors.

Image SEO Strategy: Alt text is one part of complete image optimization. We also optimize file names, compression, lazy loading, and structured data to improve Google Images rankings.

Proven Results: From our offices in NYC, Milwaukee, Madison, and Miami, we’ve helped clients increase Google Images traffic by 200%+ through proper image optimization. Combined with our SEO services, image optimization contributes to 300%+ organic traffic growth.

Need Help with Alt Text and Image SEO?

Get a free SEO audit from Egochi. We’ll identify every missing or poor alt text on your site.

Get a Free SEO Audit

Or call (888) 644-7795

Frequently Asked Questions

What is alt text in simple terms?

Alt text is a description of an image that you add to your website’s code. It’s read aloud by screen readers for blind users, shows up when images don’t load, and helps Google understand what your images show. Think of it as a text substitute for visual content.

Where do I add alt text?

Alt text is added in the HTML img tag using the alt attribute, or through your CMS. In WordPress, click the image and find the “Alt Text” field in settings. In Shopify, click the image and select “Add alt text.” Most website builders have an obvious field when you click on an image.

How many characters should alt text be?

Aim for 125 characters or less. Some screen readers truncate longer text. While there’s no strict limit, keeping alt text concise ensures full compatibility and forces you to focus on essential details. Complex images needing more description can use surrounding text or long descriptions.

Should I include keywords in alt text?

Include keywords only when they naturally describe the image. If you’re writing about running shoes and the image shows running shoes, including “running shoes” is natural and appropriate. Don’t force keywords into unrelated images or repeat them excessively. Always prioritize accuracy over keywords.

What is empty alt text (alt=””)?

Empty alt text (alt=””) tells screen readers to skip the image entirely. Use this for purely decorative images that don’t add information, like background patterns, decorative borders, or spacer images. The image still needs the alt attribute present, just with no content between the quotes.

Does alt text appear on the page?

Alt text only appears visually when the image fails to load. Otherwise, it’s hidden in the code and read by screen readers. It’s different from captions, which always display below images. You can view any image’s alt text by right-clicking and selecting “Inspect” in your browser.

Is alt text required for accessibility?

Yes, alt text is required for WCAG 2.1 Level A accessibility compliance and ADA requirements. All informational images need descriptive alt text. Decorative images need empty alt attributes. Missing alt attributes can result in accessibility lawsuits and create barriers for visually impaired users.

How do I check if my images have alt text?

Right-click an image and select “Inspect” to view its code and alt attribute. For site-wide audits, use tools like Screaming Frog, WAVE, or Semrush Site Audit. These crawl your entire site and report every image missing alt text or with issues. Chrome’s Lighthouse also checks accessibility.

Should background images have alt text?

CSS background images cannot have alt text since they’re not img elements. If a background image conveys important information, it should be an img tag with alt text instead. Purely decorative background images don’t need alt text. Consider whether the content makes sense without the background visible.

Can I use AI to write alt text?

AI can help generate alt text, but human review is essential. AI may miss context, brand specifics, or purpose. For large sites with thousands of images, AI can provide a starting point. Always review AI-generated alt text for accuracy, relevance, and appropriate keyword inclusion.