How to fix missing image alt text

WCAG: 1.1.1 Non-text Content (Level A) · Updated October 14, 2026

Alt text is the text a screen reader reads in place of an image. It also shows when an image fails to load and helps search engines understand the image. Missing alt text is one of the most common issues automated scans find.

Decide what kind of image it is

• Informative (a product photo, a chart, a photo of your team): describe what the image tells the reader in this context.
• Functional (an image inside a link or button, like a logo linking home): describe the destination or action, such as alt="Rivera Plumbing home", not “logo”.
• Decorative (dividers, background flourishes, stock imagery that adds nothing): use an empty alt, alt="", so screen readers skip it. Do not omit the attribute: a missing alt makes many screen readers read the file name.
• Complex (charts, diagrams): give a short alt and put the full data in nearby text or a table.

Write good alt text

• Be specific and brief, usually under about 125 characters.
• Do not start with “image of” or “picture of”; screen readers already announce it is an image.
• Include text that appears in the image.
• Do not stuff keywords. Write for people; search engines reward that too.

<img src="sink-repair.jpg" alt="Technician replacing a kitchen sink drain pipe">
<a href="/"><img src="logo.svg" alt="Rivera Plumbing home"></a>
<img src="swoosh.svg" alt="">

Where to fix it in common platforms

• WordPress: Media Library, select the image, fill in “Alternative Text”. Images already placed in posts keep their old alt, so edit the image block too.
• Shopify: Products, open the product, click the image, “Add alt text”. Theme images are usually set in the theme editor.
• Squarespace and Wix: open the image block settings and look for “Alt text” or “What’s in the image?”.

SVG icons

An inline SVG that conveys meaning needs role="img" and an aria-label. If the SVG sits inside a link or button that already has text, hide it with aria-hidden="true".

Step by step

1. Find images without alt. Run a scan and open the image-alt results to see which elements are affected.
2. Classify each image. Decide whether each image is informative, functional, decorative or complex.
3. Write or empty the alt. Add descriptive alt text to informative and functional images, and alt="" to decorative ones.
4. Re-scan. Scan the page again to confirm the issue is gone, then spot-check with a screen reader.

Automated accessibility scan. Results are informational and may not identify every accessibility issue. This service is not legal advice, a compliance certification, or a substitute for comprehensive manual accessibility testing.