Image Alt Text Check

Alt text is the short written description of an image that screen readers announce and search engines read. When an image has no alt attribute, blind and low-vision users hear nothing — or worse, the raw file name. VitalSite checks every image on every page using the axe-core engine, mapped to WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).

What VitalSite checks

• Missing alt attributes. Any <img> with no alt at all is flagged — screen readers fall back to the file name or "image".
• Decorative vs meaningful. Decorative images should have an empty alt="" so assistive tech skips them; meaningful images must describe their content or purpose.
• Unhelpful text. Alt text like "image" or "photo" adds noise without meaning.

Why it matters

Images without alt text are the single most common accessibility failure on the web, and one of the easiest to fix. Alt text is also what image search indexes, so missing it costs you both compliance and discoverability — and it is a frequent trigger in ADA website-accessibility complaints.

How to fix it

Add a concise, meaningful alt attribute that conveys the image's content or function:

<img src="/team-photo.jpg" alt="The VitalSite team at the 2026 launch event">

For a purely decorative image, use an empty alt so screen readers skip it:

<img src="/divider.svg" alt="">

For an image used as a link or button, describe the destination or action, not the picture. On WordPress, set alt text in the Media Library; on most page builders it is a field in the image settings.

Verify the fix

Re-scan your domain. The Image Alt Text check should show every meaningful image with descriptive alt and every decorative image with an intentional empty alt. On Pro, VitalSite lists each offending image with its exact page and element.

Run a free full-domain scan to see whether this affects your site — every page, with an exact fix guide. Pro and Agency plans add PDF export and monitoring.