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Alt Text Best Practices Summary
- Do not start with "image of", "photo of", or "picture of"
- Keep it between 50-150 characters for most images
- Describe what the image shows, not what it looks like
- For functional images, describe the action (not the icon)
- Use empty alt="" for purely decorative images
- For charts, include the key data point or trend in the alt text
- Avoid keyword stuffing — write for users, not search engines
Use the Alt Text Quality Checker at TechConverter.me to audit your images before publishing and ensure your content is accessible to all users, including those using screen readers.
Examples
Example 1: Redundant Prefix (Most Common Issue)
Bad alt text:
"Image of a developer writing code on a laptop"
"Photo of the company headquarters building"
"Picture of our product packaging"
Problem: Screen readers already announce "image" before reading alt text.
"Image of" is redundant and wastes the user's attention.
Fixed:
"Developer writing code on a laptop"
"Company headquarters building in downtown Chicago"
"Product packaging showing the new eco-friendly design"Example 2: Too Vague
Bad alt text:
"A person"
"Building"
"Chart"
Problem: Too generic — provides no useful information to screen reader users.
Fixed:
"Software engineer reviewing a pull request on dual monitors"
"The Eiffel Tower at sunset with the Seine River in the foreground"
"Bar chart showing 40% increase in monthly active users from Q1 to Q4 2024"Example 3: Keyword Stuffing (SEO Abuse)
Bad alt text:
"buy cheap laptops best laptop deals laptop sale discount laptops 2024"
Problem: Written for search engines, not users. Provides no meaningful
description and may be penalized by search engines.
Fixed:
"Dell XPS 15 laptop open on a desk showing the 4K OLED display"