What is alt text?
Alt text is the written description behind every image on your site. It is what a screen reader says out loud, what Google reads to understand the picture, and what shows on the page when an image fails to load. "Red ceramic mug," instead of silence.
In plain English
Imagine describing a photo to someone over the phone. Alt text is that one-line description, written into the page, so people who cannot see the image, and the machines reading your site, still know what is there.
What alt text does
Opens your site to more people
Visitors using screen readers can finally understand your images instead of hitting silence.
Helps Google understand images
A clear description gives Google context, which helps your pages and photos show up in search.
Keeps you on the right side of the law
Accessibility is increasingly expected and, in some cases, legally required.
Worth remembering
In 2026, 96% of the top one million home pages still failed basic accessibility checks (WebAIM).
The bar is genuinely low, which means clearing it makes you stand out and widens your audience at the same time. Alt text is one of the easiest wins on the list.
What to do about it
Write a short, plain description for every meaningful image on your site. Want to know how many of yours are missing it? A free audit will tell you.
Where this shows up in my work
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