Alternative Text

3 min read
Alternative text (Alt text) is a detailed description of an image on your site. The description is added to the image so that browsers and screen readers can understand what is in the image. 
An example of alt text. A sign at a demonstration that reads 'NO!'. The image has text saying such super-imposed on it.

Writing good alt text

Adding alt text to your images and galleries helps your site to be more accessible to visitors with sight-related impairments. Alt text is a brief description of the image content, which can then be "read" by screen readers
As well as your site's accessibility rating, alt text also improves the SEO score. In turn, this can help people find your site more easily on Google. 
The Accessibility Wizard is a quick and easy way to improve your site's accessibility. However we recommend adding alt text to your images as you add them to your site for best results. 
Tips for writing good alt text:
  • Keep it short. Try to keep your description to a single line of text.
  • Be accurate. Make your meaning clear.
  • Keep in context. How does your image relate to your page?
  • Don't begin every description with 'Image of...'. Your visitor will understand.

Adding alt text to your image


Decorative images

Decorative images are images that do not contribute to the content of your site, as they are there for aesthetic purposes only. 
If an image on your site is decorative and is not relevant to the context of your site, you do not need to add alt text. Marking an image as decorative means search engines and screen readers will automatically skip it.
To mark an image as decorative, click the box beside This image is decorative, it doesn't need a description.
Note:
You can only mark an image as decorative if it doesn't have alt text. If you would like to mark an image with alt text as decorative, you need to remove the alt text from within the editor, then rescan your site with the Wizard.

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