Website Design

Website accessibility has become an increasingly important issue in recent years, as more and more people rely on the Internet to access information, products, and services. To make the web accessible to everyone, website owners must take steps to ensure that their sites are accessible to people with disabilities. One such step is the use of alt text, which can greatly improve website accessibility for people with visual impairments.

Alt text, short for alternative text, is a text description that can be added to images on a website. This description is read by screen readers, which are used by visually impaired people, to describe the image. Alt text can also be seen by search engines, which use it to understand what the image is about.

Importance of website accessibility

Website accessibility is important for several reasons. First and foremost, it is a matter of inclusivity and ensuring that everyone has equal access to information and services.

Alt text is a simple yet effective way to improve website accessibility, and it offers several benefits for both users and website owners. In the following sections, we will explore these benefits in more detail, as well as best practices for writing effective alt text.

What is alt text?

Alt text is a text description that is added to images on a website. This description provides information about the image that is useful for people who cannot see it, such as those who are blind or visually impaired. Alt text is also helpful for search engines, as it provides context and helps them understand what the image is about.

Alt text is often referred to as “alternative text” because it serves as an alternative to the visual content of the image. Without alt text, people who cannot see the image would not have any way to know what it is, and search engines would not be able to understand its content.

Types of images that require alt text

While it is recommended to provide alt text for all images on a website, certain types of images require alt text to be accessible to everyone. These include:

Decorative images - Images that do not provide any useful information and are purely decorative, such as background images, do not require alt text.
Functional images - Images that perform a specific function, such as buttons or icons, should have alt text that describes the function they perform.
Informative images - Images that provide information, such as graphs, charts, and diagrams, should have alt text that conveys the information contained in the image.

Examples of effective alt text

Effective alt text is descriptive and provides information about the image that is relevant and useful. For example, an image of a cat could have alt text that reads “a black and white cat sitting on a windowsill”. This description provides useful information about the image that allows someone who cannot see it to form a mental image of what it looks like.

It is important to note that alt text should not be overly verbose or repetitive. A brief and concise description is usually sufficient, as long as it accurately conveys the information contained in the image.

Benefits of using alt text

Improving website accessibility for people with visual impairments

The primary benefit of using alt text is that it improves website accessibility for people with visual impairments. Without alt text, people who use screen readers would not have any way to know what images on a website depict. By providing descriptive alt text, website owners can ensure that everyone has access to the same information and that no one is excluded from using the website due to a disability.

Enhancing user experience for all users

Alt text not only benefits people with visual impairments, but it also enhances the user experience for all users. For example, if an image fails to load due to a slow internet connection or other technical issues, the alt text will be displayed instead, providing some context about the missing image. People who have turned off images in their web browser or who are using a text-only browser will also benefit from alt text, as it allows them to understand what images on the website are about.

Boosting search engine optimisation (SEO)

Another benefit of using alt text is that it can help boost search engine optimisation (SEO). Search engines use alt text to understand what images on a website are about, and this information can help improve the website’s ranking in search results. Providing alt text for images can also help attract traffic from image search results.

Legal compliance with accessibility regulations

Using alt text is essential for website owners who want to comply with accessibility regulations. Providing alt text for images is one of the key requirements for ensuring that a website is accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired.

Using alt text on a website provides several benefits, including improving website accessibility, enhancing the user experience, boosting search engine optimisation, and ensuring legal compliance with accessibility regulations. Website owners who prioritise alt text will not only make their websites more accessible to everyone but will also enjoy the many benefits that come with doing so.

Best practices for writing alt text

Keep it concise

When writing alt text, it’s important to keep it concise. Alt text should be long enough to convey the essential information about the image, but not so long that it becomes cumbersome or distracting. A good rule of thumb is to keep alt text to 125 characters or less.

Be descriptive

Alt text should be descriptive and provide as much information as possible about the image. It should convey the purpose of the image and what information it contains. For example, if the image is a graph showing a trend, the alt text should describe the trend and provide any relevant data.

Use keywords

Using relevant keywords in alt text can help boost search engine optimisation. However, it’s important to use keywords sparingly and only if they accurately reflect the content of the image. Keyword stuffing, or overusing keywords to manipulate search rankings, is not recommended and can harm SEO.

Avoid using "image of" or "picture of"

When writing alt text, it’s best to avoid using phrases like “image of” or “picture of”. This information is already conveyed by the fact that the alt text is describing an image, so including these phrases is redundant. Instead, focus on describing the content of the image in a way that is useful and informative.

Consider the context

When writing alt text, it’s important to consider the context in which the image appears. The alt text for an image on a product page, for example, should be different from the alt text for an image on a blog post. In the first case, the alt text should describe the product and its features, while in the second case, the alt text should describe the content of the blog post and how the image relates to it.

Test the alt text

After writing alt text, it’s important to test it to ensure that it accurately describes the image and provides useful information. One way to do this is to turn off images in the web browser and see if the alt text accurately conveys the content of the image. Another way is to use a screen reader to listen to the alt text and ensure that it makes sense in the context of the website.

Make your website accessible today with JezNorthWeb!

We are committed to building websites that are accessible to everyone. We believe that all users should have equal access to information and functionality, and we work hard to ensure that our websites meet the highest accessibility standards.

If you want to make your website more accessible, we can help. Our team of experts can provide guidance and support on incorporating alt text, optimising website navigation, and other accessibility best practices. We can also perform accessibility audits to identify areas for improvement and provide actionable recommendations.

Don’t let accessibility be an afterthought - make it a priority from the start with JezNorthWeb. Contact us today to learn more about our accessibility services and how we can help make your website accessible to all users.