7 Best Practices for Alt Text for Decorative Images [Improve Accessibility & SEO]

Not all images need alt text. Decorative images are a perfect example. They don’t add meaningful content to a page.

Alt text is for accessibility. It helps screen readers describe images to visually impaired users. But when an image is purely decorative, adding alt text can clutter the experience.

So, what should you do? Simply leave the alt text empty or use a blank attribute (alt=""). This tells screen readers to skip the image entirely.

Understanding when to use alt text is key. It keeps your content accessible and user-friendly. Let’s dive deeper into best practices.

Understanding Alt Text

Alt text (alternative text) provides written descriptions for images, helping screen readers convey visual details to visually impaired users. It enhances accessibility and boosts SEO when used strategically.

What Is Alt Text?

Alt text is a short, descriptive tag added to an image’s HTML code. It explains the image’s content for users who cannot view it. For example, <img src="flower.jpg" alt="Red rose with dew droplets">. Unlike captions, alt text doesn’t appear on the webpage but supports assistive technologies and search engines.

The Purpose Of Alt Text In Accessibility

Alt text ensures your content is inclusive for users relying on assistive tools. According to the World Health Organization, over 2.2 billion people have vision impairments worldwide. By using accurate alt text, you cater to these users and meet guidelines such as WCAG 2.1.

Screen readers skip decorative images with blank alt attributes (alt=””), reducing distractions. This practice keeps your content meaningful for diverse audiences.

Decorative Images And Their Role

Decorative images enhance a webpage’s visual design without conveying meaningful content. For screen-reader users, these images add no informational value and can distract from important content.

Definition Of Decorative Images

Decorative images serve a purely aesthetic function. They don’t provide any relevant context or assist in user tasks. Their primary objective is to beautify a webpage or reinforce its style[3][4][5].

Examples include background patterns, ornamental icons, or stock photos added for flair. Use alt="" in HTML to ensure they don’t interrupt screen-reader navigation[1][3].

• Stock Photos: Example—a staged photo of coffee mugs on a blog about productivity[5].
• Background Graphics: Designed patterns or banners that don’t add content.
• Icons: Decorative shapes or symbols, like lines or stars, without interactive functions.

Focus on actual content for alt text when using non-decorative images to improve accessibility and adhere to WCAG 2.1 standards. Implementing this makes your site inclusive and SEO-friendly.

When To Use Alt Text For Decorative Images

Alt text is crucial for accessibility and inclusivity but isn’t always necessary for decorative images. Knowing when and how to use alt text ensures an optimal user experience and compliance with accessibility standards.

Accessibility Guidelines

Follow WCAG 2.1 guidelines when adding alt text to decorative images. For purely decorative visuals that don’t convey important content, use an empty alt attribute (alt=""). This prevents screen readers from announcing irrelevant details, improving navigation for visually impaired users.

However, if a decorative image carries subtle information or semantic value, include short, meaningful alt text. For example, “Decorative arrow used to separate page sections” adds context for minimal yet functional elements.

Situations Where Alt Text Is Unnecessary

Skip alt text for purely decorative elements like background patterns, ornamental icons, or stock photos used solely for design aesthetics. These images don’t enhance content comprehension or user tasks.

Use alt="" in cases where ignoring these visuals improves accessibility. Avoid redundant descriptions to ensure smooth navigation for over 2.2 billion visually impaired users globally.

Best Practices For Writing Alt Text For Decorative Images

Alt text for decorative images ensures smooth website navigation for visually impaired users. Applying best practices enhances both user accessibility and compliance with WCAG 2.1 standards.

Clarity And Brevity

Write clear, concise alt text by omitting unnecessary words. For decorative images that lack informational value, use an empty alt attribute (alt="") to signal assistive technologies to skip them.

Research by WebAIM states that over 71.5% of screen reader users rely on effectively implemented alt text. Streamlining content in this way improves user experience and accessibility ratings.

Avoiding Redundant Descriptions

Avoid duplicating information already conveyed in accompanying text or captions. For decorative visuals like icons or patterns, ensure alt text isn’t repetitive or confusing.

WCAG guidelines emphasize omitting alt text for non-informative images, reducing cognitive load for users navigating content. Apply meaningful text only when images provide unique value.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

Recognizing and avoiding common errors with alt text ensures better accessibility and user experience. Decorative images, when handled incorrectly, can clutter navigation for screen-reader users.

Overloading Decorative Images With Alt Text

Adding alt text to purely decorative images creates unnecessary noise for assistive technologies. For instance, describing borders or background icons doesn’t add value and diverts attention from meaningful content.

Use an empty alt attribute (alt="") for such images instead. This approach complies with WCAG 2.1 guidelines and significantly streamlines usability for over 253 million people with visual impairments globally.

Mislabeling Non-Decorative Images

Misclassifying informative images as decorative reduces content accessibility. For example, neglecting to describe a graph intended to present vital data excludes those relying on screen readers.

Prioritize accurate labeling of these images with concise, descriptive alt text. Enhance inclusivity and align your content with accessibility standards by focusing on the image’s purpose and informational value.

Conclusion

Understanding how to handle alt text for decorative images is essential for creating accessible and user-friendly content. By using empty alt attributes for purely aesthetic visuals, you ensure that screen readers focus on meaningful information without unnecessary distractions. This approach not only supports accessibility standards but also enhances the overall user experience.

When you apply these best practices, you’re contributing to a more inclusive digital environment while maintaining SEO effectiveness. Thoughtful implementation of alt text demonstrates your commitment to accessibility and ensures your content reaches a wider audience seamlessly.