# How to write image alt text

> Alt text describes an image for screen readers and for Google Images. Describe what matters; mark decorative images with an empty alt.

Accessibility · HTML version: https://getreport.app/learn/image-alt-text

## Images without alt text

Passing looks like: Every image has an alt attribute.

**Why it matters.** Alt text is how Google Images and screen readers understand a picture. Missing alt text loses image traffic and fails accessibility.

**How to fix it.**

1. Describe each meaningful image in a short alt attribute ("Blue running shoe, side view").
2. Give purely decorative images an empty alt="" so screen readers skip them.

## Image alt text

Passing looks like: Every image has alternative text.

**Why it matters.** Alt text is what screen readers speak and what appears when an image does not load. Without it, product photos and infographics are silent for blind visitors and invisible to image search.

**How to fix it.**

1. Add alt="…" describing what the image shows, in one sentence, to every informative image.
2. Use alt="" (empty) for purely decorative images so screen readers skip them.

## Images marked decorative

Passing looks like: Images marked decorative passes.

**Why it matters.** An empty alt tells screen readers and Google Images to skip the picture. That is right for spacers and background art, and a lost opportunity for product photos.

**How to fix it.**

1. Check the list in the technical detail; give any image that carries meaning a short description instead of alt="".

Check your own page: https://getreport.app/