Missing Alt Text Test Page
About This Page
This page has images that are missing alt text. Alt text is important for both accessibility and SEO. Alternative text (also called alt text or alt attributes) provides a textual description of images on a webpage, serving as a replacement for the visual content when images cannot be seen. This is critical for users with visual impairments who rely on screen readers to navigate the web. Screen readers announce the alt text to describe what's in the image, making your content accessible to all users regardless of their abilities. Without alt text, these users will only hear "image" or the filename announced, giving them no context about the visual content they're missing, effectively creating an incomplete experience.
Missing alt text is a common SEO and accessibility issue that web crawlers flag for correction. Search engines cannot "see" images in the same way humans do—they rely on context clues like alt text to understand and properly index image content. When images lack alt text, search engines have limited information about what those images contain, potentially missing valuable content that could help your page rank for relevant queries. Additionally, missing alt text represents a violation of web accessibility guidelines, specifically the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which many jurisdictions increasingly incorporate into legal requirements for websites. Accessibility lawsuits related to inaccessible websites have become more common, making appropriate alt text not just an SEO best practice but potentially a legal necessity for businesses of all sizes.
Why Alt Text Matters
Having descriptive alt text for images is important because:
- It makes your website more accessible to users with visual impairments
- Search engines use alt text to understand what images are about
- Alt text appears if images fail to load
- It helps improve your image SEO and can drive traffic from image searches
Alt text serves multiple crucial functions beyond just fulfilling technical requirements. From an accessibility perspective, it opens your content to the approximately 285 million people worldwide with visual impairments who use assistive technologies to browse the web. This inclusive approach not only serves a broader audience but also demonstrates corporate social responsibility. From an SEO standpoint, properly optimized alt text can help your images appear in Google Image Search results, potentially driving additional traffic to your site. Google's image recognition technology has advanced significantly, but it still relies heavily on textual cues like alt text to understand image content and context. Furthermore, in situations where images fail to load due to slow connections, broken links, or users who browse with images disabled to save data, alt text provides context about what should appear. This improves the user experience even in suboptimal browsing conditions, ensuring your message is still conveyed.
How To Fix
To fix missing alt text:
- Add descriptive alt attributes to all images
- Keep alt text concise but descriptive (about 5-15 words)
- Include relevant keywords when appropriate
- Make sure alt text accurately describes the image content
When writing effective alt text, focus on being both descriptive and concise. The goal is to convey the image's content and purpose in the context of the surrounding content. For example, instead of generic descriptions like "plumbing image" or "bathroom photo," use more specific descriptions like "plumber repairing leaking kitchen sink faucet" or "modern bathroom renovation with walk-in shower installation." For images that serve purely decorative purposes with no informational value, it's appropriate to use an empty alt attribute (alt="") rather than omitting it entirely, which tells screen readers to skip the image. For complex images like infographics or charts, provide comprehensive descriptions that capture the key information presented visually. Many content management systems now include built-in prompts for alt text when uploading images, making implementation easier. For existing sites with numerous images missing alt text, consider prioritizing high-traffic pages and product images first, then systematically working through your site's image library. Regular accessibility audits can help identify missed opportunities for improvement.
