Quick Reference Guides
Alt Text in Newsletters
What Is Alt Text?
Alt text (alternative text) describes an image on a page.
Why Do I Need It?
Alt text is necessary for Section 508 compliance.
It helps visually impaired people understand what an image shows. When screen readers reach content with alt text, the alt text is read aloud so that people can better understand what's on the screen.
Not only this, but alt text also helps search engine bots understand image contents and appears on the page if the image fails to load.
How Do I Write Good Alt Text?
Simply describe what you see on the image. Include text that appears on the image. For example, alt text for the image at the right may read something like this: cartoon image of a man in a lab coat holding a tablet.
Sometimes you may have pictures that are just decorative, so for those, you can put "decorative image."
How Do I Add Alt Text in GovDelivery?
GovDelivery makes it really easy to add alt text when you upload an image. When you add an image, you're asked to name the image, choose visibility, and select an image. (See screenshot below.) The name that you give the image is what is read as the alt text.
