![Enhancing Image Accessibility](https://cdn.slatesource.com/0/3/8/0388a4b8-f731-4770-9d72-fbf7e0f6baf8.webp) # Enhancing Image Accessibility - [Made in Slatesource](https://slatesource.com/@slatesource/enhancing-image-accessibility) - By [Slatesource](https://slatesource.com/@slatesource) - Education & Learning - Created on Aug 3, 2026 ## AddAdd AltAlt TextText to EveryEvery ImageImage: The Two-MinuteTwo-Minute DiscoverabilityDiscoverability WinWin A pagepage that is mostlymostly photosphotos lookslooks likelike emptyempty spacespace to a crawlercrawler. It cannotcannot seesee that your shotshot is a foggyfoggy 6am6am climbclimb in the DolomitesDolomites, or a flat-layflat-lay of hand-pouredhand-poured candlescandles on a linenlinen runnerrunner. You have to spellspell it out, and that is the wholewhole jobjob of imageimage altalt texttext for SEOSEO. For visualvisual creatorscreators it is oneone of the smallestsmallest taskstasks on the entireentire sitesite and oneone of the very fewfew that changeschanges whetherwhether a strangerstranger everever findsfinds you. ## WrittenWritten for the PersonPerson Who CannotCannot SeeSee It AltAlt texttext is the shortshort descriptiondescription tuckedtucked into an image'simage's HTMLHTML. It existsexists for screenscreen readersreaders firstfirst, so a blindblind visitorvisitor hearshears the photophoto describeddescribed insteadinstead of the wordword "imageimage" readread out fortyforty timestimes over. That reasonreason alonealone settlessettles the questionquestion of whetherwhether to botherbother. [w3.org](https://www.w3.org/WAI/tutorials/images/?utm_source=slatesource) The search payoff is a bonus on top. Google Images is its own engine, and plenty of people start there: recipe shots, interiors, tattoo flash, hair before-and-afters. The alt text, the file name and the caption around the photo are most of what Google has to go on. Leave them blank and you have shut a door that was already open. [developers.google.com](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/google-images?utm_source=slatesource) ## DescribeDescribe It LikeLike You WouldWould Out LoudLoud Be specificspecific and be plainplain. DropDrop "imageimage of", sincesince the tagtag alreadyalready announcesannounces that muchmuch. And do not packpack it with keywordskeywords, becausebecause a stringstring of repeatedrepeated searchsearch termsterms readsreads as spamspam to a personperson and a crawlercrawler alikealike. SameSame picturepicture, threethree waysways. > photo > > — Slatesource · 3rd of August 2026 Lazy. A screen reader says "photo" and moves on. Google files a photo of nothing in particular. Four characters that describe zero of the frame. > wedding photographer wedding photos wedding portraits > > — Slatesource · 3rd of August 2026 Stuffed. Every word is a search term and not one of them says what is happening in the picture. Read it aloud and you can hear the spam. > bride and groom laughing under string lights at an outdoor barn reception > > — Slatesource · 3rd of August 2026 Right. About ten words, names what is actually in the frame, and happens to carry terms a real person might type. Nobody had to keyword anything. **125** Characters before the cut If the image is pure decoration, a hairline divider or a background texture, give it an empty alt so screen readers skip straight past it. An empty description is a real answer. Do not manufacture words for filler. ## RenameRename the FileFile on the WayWay In The otherother two-secondtwo-second habithabit sitssits oneone stepstep earlierearlier. A filefile calledcalled amalfi-coast-sunsetamalfi-coast-sunset.jpgjpg tellstells a crawlercrawler somethingsomething beforebefore the altalt texttext eveneven loadsloads. IMGIMG\_48214821.jpgjpg tellstells it nothingnothing, fortyforty timestimes a gallerygallery. NOW Typing the description while the photo is still on the clipboard. Updated Aug 2026 Old uploads you will go back and fix 0/300 Two minutes an image only stays cheap while you write it as you go. Nobody finishes the retrofit. Write the description the moment you drop the photo in and it quietly stops being a task at all. How many of the images on your live pages have a real description right now? [All of them, it is a habit](/login)[Some, the recent ones](/login)[None, and now that stings](/login)[Never checked](/login) ## WordsWords BesideBeside the PicturePicture A slateslate nevernever leavesleaves a photophoto standingstanding on its ownown. A GalleryGallery captioncaption, an InfoInfo cardcard aboveabove the frameframe, a NoteNote underneathunderneath it: everyevery oneone of those is texttext a crawlercrawler can readread and a screenscreen readerreader can speakspeak, sittingsitting rightright where the imageimage is. FillFill them in onceonce, at uploadupload, and the pagepage staysstays legiblelegible to searchsearch and to anyoneanyone who cannotcannot seesee the picturepicture. TinyTiny habithabit, realreal reachreach.