Images

Alternate text (alt text) is essential for image accessibility. It provides a textual description that conveys an image's purpose and/or content to screen reader users.

For detailed guidelines, refer to the Images Guidance page.

Images in HTML

Informative images

For images that convey information, provide a text alternative using the alt attribute within the <img> tag. The alt text must be a concise and accurate description that communicates the essential content and purpose of the image.

The simplest method to provide alt text is to include the alt attribute within the<img> element in the HTML code:

<img alt="The Claw fountain with beams of light refracting through the trees" src="claw_fountain.jpg">

Decorative images

For images that are purely decorative, use an empty alt attribute (alt=""). This ensures they are correctly ignored by assistive technologies.

<img alt="" src="filename.jpg">

Complex images

Please see guidance for complex images: Illustrations, graphs, and charts.

Images in CMS Platforms

When adding images in a Content Management System (CMS), use the rich text editor to insert the image.

• Informative Images: Provide a descriptive summary in the "Alt Text" field.
• Decorative Images: Select "Decorative" to automatically generate a null alt attribute (alt="").