Images
You must provide short, meaningful alternative (alt) text that describes the image and embedded text (if any). Remember that screen readers cannot detect text embedded in an image.
Do:
- Ensure your alt text is sufficient as a proxy for the image if it doesn’t load. This is a good way to think about your alt text.
- Write concise descriptions that move from general info to specifics, and keep them short
- Focus on the purpose of the visual information in context
- Always consider your audience. What does someone need to know if they can’t see this image?
- Always use natural language, not jargon
- Include alt text on all images, clip art, smart art, charts, and graphs
Do not:
- Do not leave an image without either alt text or marking it as decorative
- Do not include images of text
- Do not allow redundancy. That is, do not use alt text to repeat information in the body of the text
- Do not use generic phrases “image of…” or “graphic of…”
- Do not have lengthy alt text. It should be succinct but contextually complete
Need great examples? Michigan State University’s Alternative Text for Images site for images, alt text considerations, etc.