Accessibility guide
Alt text examples
Facts checked Oct 9, 2026
25 alt text examples by kind of picture, from product photos to logos and charts: a weak version, a better one, and why.
New to alt text? Start with Write good alt text, or let the Alt text writer draft it.
Check the official rules. Rules and dates change, so check them with the official sources before you rely on them: ADA.gov (the US Department of Justice), the W3C's WCAG pages and Section508.gov. PageKiwi helps you find problems and get closer to meeting the rules. It can't promise a website meets them, it isn't legal advice, and we can't take responsibility for decisions made from it.
Three questions for any picture
- Does it add anything? If not, give it empty alt text so screen readers skip it.
- Is it a link or a button? Then say what it does or where it goes.
- Does it hold words or numbers? Then the alt text, or the page next to it, gives the same words and numbers.
Otherwise, describe what matters about it on this page, usually in one sentence. These follow the W3C's alt decision tree.
Photos
| Picture | Weak | Better | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product photo | IMG_2041.jpg | Hand-thrown blue mug with a speckled glaze, 12 oz | A file name tells a shopper nothing. Say what they'd check before buying: color, material, size. |
| Product, second view | shoe | The same trail shoe from the back, showing the reflective heel strip | Extra photos exist to show something new. Say what this one adds. |
| One person | staff photo | Maria Lopez, our head baker, holding a tray of sourdough loaves | Name the person when the page doesn't already, and say what they're doing if it matters. |
| Group photo | image of people | Our five volunteers behind the food bank counter | Skip "image of": screen readers already say it's a picture. Say who and where. |
| Event | event photo | A crowd on the town green at the summer fair, with the brass band playing under the tent | Give the feeling and the facts a sighted visitor gets at a glance. |
| Building | library | The library's side entrance on Elm Street, with the ramp to the left of the steps | On a "Visit us" page, what matters is finding the way in, not the architecture. |
| Food | food | Bowl of chicken noodle soup with crusty bread, our Tuesday special | A menu photo sells the dish. Name it and what comes with it. |
| Before and after | before / after | Before: the park bench with peeling green paint. After: the same bench sanded and painted dark blue | Two pictures tell one story, so say what changed. The W3C calls this a group of images. |
Pictures with words or information
| Picture | Weak | Better | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poster or flyer | poster | Harvest supper, Friday, October 23, 7 p.m., town hall, $15 | If a picture is mostly words, the alt text is those words. Better still, put them in the page too. |
| Photo with a sign | store front | Our shop window, with a sign saying "Closed Mondays" | Words in a photo can be the point. Include them when they matter on this page. |
| Map | map | Map: the parking lot is behind the library, off Oak Street | Say what the map is there to show. Write full directions in the page for anyone who needs them. |
| Chart | chart | Bar chart of library visits by month in 2025: highest in July, 4,100; lowest in February, 1,800 | Give the main point and the key numbers. Put the full figures in a table below the chart. |
| Infographic | infographic | How to recycle: rinse, sort, and put the bin out by 7 a.m. Thursday. Full steps are below the picture. | Too long for alt text. Sum it up, then write every step in the page. |
| Screenshot in a how-to | screenshot | The Settings page, with the Save button in the bottom right corner | Say what the reader needs from it to follow the step, not every button on screen. |
| Screenshot of a post | screenshot | Post from the sheriff's office: Route 9 is closed until 6 p.m. because of a crash | The message is the point. Write who posted it and what it says. |
| QR code | QR code | QR code for the sign-up form | Say where it goes, and print the web address as text beside it for people who can't scan. |
Pictures that do something
| Picture | Weak | Better | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logo that links home | logo | Riverside Bakery home page | A picture inside a link says where the link goes. The W3C calls these functional images. |
| Logo, not a link | logo.png | Riverside Bakery | The name is enough. Logos are the one place words in a picture are fine. |
| Search button | magnifying glass | Search | Name the action, not the drawing. Nobody wants to "magnifying glass". |
| Social media icon | facebook-icon | Riverside Bakery on Facebook | Say where it takes people, so the link makes sense on its own. |
| Print icon | printer | Print this page | Same rule: what happens when you press it. |
Pictures to skip
| Picture | Weak | Better | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decorative swirl or divider | decorative line | alt="" (empty, so it's skipped) | It adds nothing for someone who can't see it. Empty alt text tells screen readers to skip it. |
| Icon beside its own words | phone icon | alt="" (empty, so it's skipped) | If the words "Call 555-0142" sit right beside it, describing the icon only says it twice. |
| Banner photo that's just mood | laptop on a desk | alt="" (empty, so it's skipped) | A general stock-style photo that says nothing about you can be skipped. If it shows your place or people, describe it. |
Social media style
| Picture | Weak | Better | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meme or joke picture | funny cat | Cat staring at a laptop, captioned "Me checking the inbox on Monday" | Include the caption's words and enough of the picture for the joke to land. |
Common mistakes
- Starting with "image of" or "picture of": the screen reader has already said so.
- File names like "IMG_4032.JPG" or "banner-final-2.png", often filled in by the builder.
- A string of search words ("bakery, best bakery, cakes, Vermont"): it doesn't help anyone, and Google's own advice warns against it.
- Too long: a sentence is usually enough. Some builders also cut it off: Shopify at 512 characters, Squarespace product images at 200.
- The same words as the caption right below: people hear it twice.
Add it on your builder, and practice
- WordPress, Squarespace, Wix and Shopify: where the alt text box is.
- Picture Check: finds pictures with no alt text, or a file name instead.
- Alt text writer: pick a photo and get a draft to edit.
- Write the alt text: a five-minute game with eight pictures and instant tips.
Good alt text is part of making your website accessible. Website accessibility: where to start, with the tools that help and what the law asks.