Alt text starts with what the image does
Choose useful image alt text by checking the page context, decorative purpose or link action, then review the finished English and Spanish pages.
By Noe Guerrero III
Before filling an image's alt-text field, ask what the image contributes to that particular page. Does it explain something, provide decoration or let someone take an action? The answer changes what belongs in its text alternative.
Start with that purpose, then write the useful words. A list of services and nearby cities won't help someone understand the picture or use the link.
Match the alternative to the image's job
Alt text is a text alternative supplied for an image. For a simple informative photo, describe the meaning it adds in context. W3C's informative-image guidance explains that the right alternative depends on why the image appears on the page; it isn't necessarily a literal inventory of everything visible.
Decoration needs a different choice. W3C's decorative-image guidance recommends an intentional empty alternative, written as alt="" for an HTML image. That's different from omitting the attribute, which can cause some screen readers to announce the filename. Have the developer confirm how your editor implements the choice.
For an image-only link or button, describe its destination or action. Equivalent text within the same link can make the image alternative redundant.
A logo's job can change between placements. Review whether it identifies the business, links home or repeats information within the same link.
Work through a small example
Imagine a bicycle repair business in McAllen called Example Cycle Shop. This shop and the following image placements are hypothetical, not a client project. Its content team is choosing alternatives before handing the page to a developer.
| Image and page context | Purpose | Proposed choice |
|---|---|---|
| Brake-service photo showing a wheel held in a repair stand | Explain the service setup | “Wheel secured in a repair stand for a brake check” |
| Abstract tire-tread strip used only as a border | Decoration | Intentional empty alternative |
| Calendar picture used alone as the booking link | Open the booking page | “Book a repair appointment” |
| Shop logo used alone as the homepage link | Identify the destination | “Example Cycle Shop home” |
These are proposed alternatives for those imagined placements, not text to paste across every bicycle website. The informative photo's wording should change if a different detail is the reason for showing it. The booking label should match the real destination.
For each image you hand over, include the page location, its purpose and the proposed alternative or decorative decision. Add any uncertainty as a question for review. A note such as “this photo demonstrates the wheel support” gives the designer more direction than a folder of filenames and “add SEO.”
Keep customer-facing information where everyone can find it. Don't make an important service condition available only in an image alternative. Give it a clear place in the page copy too. An elaborate diagram, price chart or instruction graphic may need more explanation than this simple-photo exercise covers; flag it for its own content review.
Keep search wording useful
Google's image SEO guidance says it uses alt text with image analysis and page content to understand an image. It also warns against keyword stuffing. Write an accurate, contextual alternative; don't add a string of locations or unsupported claims about being the best.
A location can matter when it is part of what the image communicates. It doesn't need to be inserted into every repair photo. Useful alternatives aren't a promise of rankings.
Review the image on the finished page
The handover note is a starting point. Check the implemented page with its surrounding text, links and chosen language. Ask the developer to show the saved alternative and verify the name exposed for an image-only control with an accessibility inspection or screen-reader check.
Read the proposed wording beside the heading and caption. Does it add the intended information, repeat the same sentence or describe a detail that no longer appears after cropping? If an image or its destination changes, revisit the decision.
For English and Spanish pages, review meaningful alternatives in both languages. Preserve names and facts while making the wording natural. Our bilingual website consistency guide covers the related need to carry the selected language through the full customer experience.
Keep the final choices with the page's content notes. The next person replacing a photo should be able to understand why it was informative, decorative or functional, rather than inheriting a mysterious blank field or a keyword list.