What should image alt text say?
Image alt text should communicate the visual information a person would miss if they could not see the image. Use concise, accurate descriptions; decorative images can have empty alt text. To apply this to your website, start with the specific page or setting involved. The alternative text communicates the image's important meaning or deliberately stays empty for decoration. Follow the quick checks below or use the linked full guide for a more complete walkthrough.
A quick way to handle this
Start by confirming the live URL or record involved and what the visitor is trying to accomplish. Write a short natural description of that information, focusing on content and context rather than SEO repetition.
Use empty `alt=""` for genuinely decorative images; avoid repeating the surrounding caption word-for-word.
Practical example
For a chart showing visits rising from 20 to 35, alt text can say “Line chart showing monthly visits increasing from 20 to 35,” if those figures are real.
This is a hypothetical illustration; verify the facts and settings for your own website before applying it.
How to check the result
The alternative text communicates the image's important meaning or deliberately stays empty for decoration.
Check the public version of the page, not only an editor preview. Record the affected URLs and whether any remaining issue needs a deeper review.
One mistake worth avoiding
Writing “SEO keyword best SEO keyword ranking photo image” or describing purely decorative shapes at length.
Search engines choose their own ranking and indexing outcomes. Focus on producing an accurate, usable page rather than promising a particular placement.
Key takeaways
- Look at the image and ask what information a non-visual visitor would miss without it.
- Use empty `alt=""` for genuinely decorative images; avoid repeating the surrounding caption word-for-word.
- The alternative text communicates the image's important meaning or deliberately stays empty for decoration.
Further reading
For technical search guidance, refer to the relevant official documentation. Verify changing platform details against the current source.