Writing Alt Text That Makes Websites More Accessible

Good alt text gives people who use screen readers an equivalent understanding of meaningful images. It also helps when images fail to load, supports search context, and makes digital content easier to navigate for people with different access needs. The aim is not to describe every visible detail, but to communicate the image’s purpose.

For Australian websites, this matters across government services, education, retail and community organisations. A clear visual description can make a page easier to use whether someone is browsing on a phone in Sydney, checking a council update in Brisbane or accessing an online shop from regional Victoria.

Start With The Image’s Purpose

Before writing a description, ask what role the image plays on the page. A photograph may introduce a person, a diagram may explain a process, and an icon may act as a button. The best alternative text reflects that function rather than providing a generic visual summary.

For example, an image of a nurse beside a patient might need the description “Nurse explaining a treatment plan to an older patient” if it supports an article about healthcare. If it is purely decorative beside the same article, an empty alt attribute may be more appropriate. This tells assistive technology to skip it instead of interrupting the reading flow.

Keep Descriptions Specific And Brief

Effective alt text is usually short, precise and written in natural language. Include the subject, action and relevant setting when those details help someone understand the surrounding content. Avoid phrases such as “image of” or “picture of”, because most screen readers already announce that the item is an image.

“Two cyclists riding along Melbourne’s Yarra River path” communicates more than “People outdoors”. However, extra details such as the colour of a helmet or the weather should be left out unless they affect the meaning. Concise wording reduces cognitive load and keeps the page efficient for users navigating with speech output.

Match The Surrounding Content

Alt text should add information rather than repeat nearby headings or captions. Read the sentence before and after the image, then decide what a person who cannot see the image would need to know at that point. The same photograph may require different wording in a news story, product listing or event announcement.

A caption might identify a speaker by name, while the alt text explains what the person is doing. For an Australian community event, “Aunty speaking to attendees at a National Reconciliation Week gathering” may be useful if the image supports the event’s purpose. If the caption already provides those details, the alternative text could focus on the setting or be marked decorative.

Describe Informational Graphics Clearly

Charts, maps and diagrams often require more than a one-line visual label. Start with a concise alt text that identifies the graphic, then provide the important data or explanation in nearby HTML. This gives screen reader users access to the same information without forcing a long paragraph into the image attribute.

For instance, a bar chart showing online shopping by state might use “Bar chart comparing online retail activity across Australian states” as its short description. The surrounding text can then state the figures and explain the main trend. If a graphic contains instructions, repeat the essential steps in accessible page text rather than relying on pixels that cannot be enlarged or interpreted reliably.

Handle Functional Images And Icons

When an image is a link or button, describe the action it performs. A magnifying-glass icon used to search should have alt text such as “Search”, while a logo that links to the home page may need “SM Casino home” or the organisation’s name, depending on the site’s identity and purpose. Avoid describing an icon’s appearance when its function is what matters.

Decorative icons, background images and flourishes should generally use empty alt text, written as alt="". Leaving the attribute out entirely can cause some assistive technologies to guess at a filename or announce unhelpful information. Consistent treatment is especially important on minimal websites where visual symbols may carry much of the navigation.

Write For Products, Tutorials And Screenshots

Product images should identify the item and the features relevant to the buying decision. “Black waterproof hiking jacket with reflective trim” is more useful than “jacket photo”. If several images show the same product, give each one a distinct purpose, such as front view, side pocket or close-up of the fabric.

Screenshots need careful wording because text inside them may be inaccessible. Summarise the task or result shown, and place any essential on-screen wording in the page content. For a security tutorial, an image might say “Password manager displaying a generated login password”, while a separate strong password guide can provide the broader written explanation. Alt text should support that material rather than reproduce every menu item.

Test With People And Assistive Technology

Automated accessibility checkers can identify missing alt attributes, but they cannot judge whether a description is useful. Review images in context, switch off image loading, and test with a screen reader such as VoiceOver, NVDA or TalkBack. Listen for repetition, awkward wording and descriptions that obscure the page’s main point.

Include disabled people in testing where possible, particularly when publishing content for public services, universities or large Australian retailers. Check mobile layouts as well as desktop pages, since many users access websites through phones and variable network connections. A practical review process should also cover new campaign images, user-uploaded photos and content added by staff who may not have accessibility training.

Build Alt Text Into Publishing Workflows

Accessibility improves when responsibility is clear. Content management systems can require an alt-text field, style guides can provide examples, and editors can flag images that need a longer explanation. Training writers to distinguish informative, functional and decorative images prevents the common mistake of adding the same generic description everywhere.

Review important pages after redesigns, migrations and image compression, as these changes can remove attributes or replace meaningful files with unclear filenames. Applying recognised accessibility guidance, including the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and relevant Australian digital service practices, creates a more dependable experience. Thoughtful alternative text is a small publishing task, but it can determine whether visual information is available to the whole audience.