Image accessibility audit
Image Alt Text Auditor
Audit image alt attributes to find missing, empty, duplicate, filename-like, generic, or overly long text that can affect accessibility and image SEO.
Tool guide
What is the Image Alt Text Auditor?
The Image Alt Text Auditor scans image elements and reports missing, empty, duplicate, filename-like, or unusually long alt attributes. Alternative text gives a text equivalent for meaningful images and is essential for visitors who use screen readers or browse when images fail to load.
Good alt text describes the purpose of the image in the context of the page. Decorative images often need an empty alt attribute, while product photos, diagrams, charts, and linked images normally require useful descriptions. The audit separates implementation issues from cases that still need human judgment.
Audit coverage
What this SEO tool checks
Images without an alt attribute
Empty alt text that may be intentional or may hide meaningful content
Repeated alt values across several images
Alt text that looks like a file name or generic placeholder
Very long descriptions that may be better placed in nearby page text
Step-by-step
How to use the Image Alt Text Auditor
- 1Enter the page or HTML
Use the public URL option for a live page or paste source from a template.
- 2Run the image audit
The tool reads image sources and alt attributes from the document.
- 3Review images in context
Decide whether each image is informative, functional, decorative, or redundant.
- 4Update templates and content
Fix recurring component problems in the template and page-specific descriptions in the content editor.
Interpretation
How to understand the results
- Missing alt attributes are implementation errors because assistive technology receives no alternative value.
- Empty alt values are correct for purely decorative images but wrong for images that communicate information or perform an action.
- Duplicate or filename-style text is a quality warning, not proof that the description is unusable.
Practical advice
SEO best practices
- Describe what the image contributes to the surrounding content rather than listing every visible detail.
- For linked images, describe the destination or action when that is more useful than the appearance.
- Do not begin every description with “image of” because screen readers already identify the element as an image.
- Keep decorative icons out of the accessibility tree with alt="" when they add no information.
- For complex charts, provide a concise alt value and a fuller text explanation or data table nearby.
Before you act
Limitations of this automated check
An automated tool cannot see the actual pixels or understand the editorial context, so it cannot write reliable alt text for you. CSS background images, canvas drawings, SVG accessibility labels, and dynamically loaded images may require separate inspection. Always verify important pages with accessibility testing and real screen-reader behavior.
Deeper explanation
Understand the decision behind the check
Use the practical guide below when you need context, common mistakes and a verification workflow instead of only a pass/fail result.
Common questions
Image Alt Text Auditor FAQs
Is an empty alt attribute always bad?
No. alt="" is the correct treatment for many decorative or redundant images because it tells screen readers to skip them.
Should alt text contain keywords?
Only when the keyword naturally describes the image. Keyword stuffing makes the page less useful and can create repetitive accessibility output.
How long should alt text be?
Use the shortest description that communicates the image’s purpose. Complex information belongs in surrounding text or a longer description.
Does the tool inspect CSS background images?
No. Standard background images do not use an alt attribute and should not carry essential information without a text alternative.
Continue your audit