Table of Contents
Do screen readers read alt text?
Alt-text does not affect how an image is displayed but provides the content in an alternative text-based format. A screen reader will read this aloud and the person using the device is given context and meaning about how the image relates to the rest of the page.
When should you not use alt text?
Including alt text for decorative images or items Decorative items such as dividers or design items that don’t provide additional context or content don’t need alt text. They don’t add to the information a user needs and they make little sense, or are unnecessary, when read with a screen reader.
What is the purpose of using alternative alt texts in images?
Alternative (Alt) Text is meant to convey the “why” of the image as it relates to the content of a document or webpage. It is read aloud to users by screen reader software, and it is indexed by search engines. It also displays on the page if the image fails to load, as in this example of a missing image.
What is the purpose of the alt element?
The ALT text adds a text description to an image on a Web page, and should be used for all images, graphical bullets, and graphical horizontal rules. ALT text is accessed by screen reader users to provide them with a text equivalent of images.
What is the best way to use alt text?
While your first priority should be describing and providing context to the image, if it makes sense to do so, include your keyword in the alt text of at least one image on the page. Avoid keyword stuffing.
Who uses alt text?
Alt text uses: Visually impaired users using screen readers will be read an alt attribute to better understand an on-page image. 2. Alt text will be displayed in place of an image if an image file cannot be loaded. 3.
How do you write alt text for decorative images?
To mark an image as decorative, all that is required is that you supply an empty ALT attribute. To do this, simply provide ALT text of “” to indicate an empty ALT attribute. This will signal a screen reader to skip over the image, taking it out of the reading flow.
What happens when alt text is left blank?
Alt tags are used to describe the contents of images, but some images don’t convey any meaning and are therefore considered “decorative.” Decorative images do not need to be announced by the screen reader, so if the alt attribute is empty (alt=””, aka a “null” tag) it will not be announced to the user.