Alternative Text

Every image should have an alternative text or alt text field. Decorative images that provide visual appeal and do not add information to the page should have the alt field blank (alt =" " ).

When you add an image to the media library, you will identify whether it is decorative or informative and will add alt text for informative images.

How to tell if an image is informative:

• If the image contains text that the user needs to know and is not available elsewhere on the page, it is informative.

• If the image is crucial to understanding the page content, it is informative.

• If the image contains graphs or charts, it is informative.

• If the image is historical and supplements the text on the page, it is informative.

When adding alt text to an image:

• begin with a capital

• don't use punctuation

• avoid using "image" or "picture". Most screen readers will automatically read "image" so this information is redundant

• be brief (aim for less than 10 words)

(examples: Cathedral Square, Girl playing in park)

If image content is provided in adjacent text or caption, the alt text field should be blank

Source: Alt-text guidelines created following WebAIM guidelines.