What is the alt text? Alt text (alternative text), also known as “alt attributes”, “alt descriptions,” and technically incorrectly as “alt tags,” are used within an HTML code to describe the appearance and function of an image on a page.
Adding alternative text for images is the first principle of web accessibility. It is also one of the most difficult to properly implement. The web is replete with images that have missing, incorrect, or sparse alternative text. Like many things in web accessibility, determining appropriate, equivalent, alternative text is often a matter of personal interpretation. Through the use of examples, this article will present our expert analysis of the proper use of alternative text.
Alternative text provides a textual alternative to non-text content in web pages. We will be discussing the alternative text for images only, though the principles can be applied to media, applets, or other non-text web content.