Summary
Alternative text (alt text) describes the meaning or function of an image so people using assistive technologies, like screen readers, can understand its purpose. Alt text also benefits users with slow internet connections and supports SEO and other technical uses.
Body
Overview
This article helps students, faculty, and staff understand the meaning, purpose, and best practices of alternative text to help meet digital accessibility standards in their content. It provides tips, examples, and more resources. Always refer to ADA digital accessibility standards for the most up-to-date compliance requirements.
What is Alternative Text (Alt Text)?
Alternative text (alt text) describes the meaning or function of an image so people using assistive technologies, like screen readers, can understand its purpose. Alt text also benefits users with slow internet connections and supports SEO and other technical uses.
Best Practices
Source: Section508.gov – Authoring Meaningful Alternative Text
- Keep alt text short and focused.
- Convey the same information as the image, not just its appearance.
- Avoid unnecessary details or repeating surrounding text.
- Use the same language as the main content.
- Avoid phrases like “image of” or “picture of”—screen readers already announce it’s an image.
- If an image is purely decorative or used only for visual formatting, and doesn’t convey essential information, it should be marked as decorative.
- View examples of proper alt text
Still Need Help?
Creative Production offers help with document formatting, design, and redesign if needed. Please note, Creative Production cannot ensure accessibility for content created by other users. They may need to re-create a document to ensure accessibly, if you choose to use their services. Costs apply. Submit a ticket to request Creative Production services
IT Solutions primarily supports digital accessibility for academic and course-related materials including document accessibility, captioning and transcription services. Support for other content may be available if time allows, with costs applying to non-course materials. Submit a ticket to request IT Solutions services