Write better alt text than AI: A practical guide for businesses

Alt text — short for alternative text — is a small detail with a big impact.

Alternative text has many functions:

• Helps persons using screen readers understand the content and purpose of an image. These are not only persons who are blind, but also persons with cognitive disabilities.
• Browser presents the alt text visually if an image fails to load, or a person uses the "blocked images" setting.
• Search engines read alternative text and index images, positioning them in the search results.

And while AI tools can now generate alt text in seconds, thoughtful human-written descriptions still win in clarity, context, and brand voice.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to write alt text that’s not just compliant, but useful, on-brand, and search engine optimization (SEO)-friendly.

Table of contents:

• Context matters
• Keep it concise
• Improve SEO with alt text
• Branding with alt text
• Do not overrely on auto-generated alt text
• When alt text is redundant
• Make alt text part of your strategy

Context matters

The best alt text reflects both the image and its purpose in the content.

The same image may need completely different alt text depending on its context. For example:

• A chart used in a marketing report might need a summary of the key takeaway. The same chart in a product analytics dashboard might need a detailed description of the data.
• A screenshot of a checkout form** on a software as a service (SaaS) landing page could be described as "Streamlined checkout process with one-click payment options." In a help article it might be "Checkout form with fields for name, address, and payment method."

Without context, alt text can either feel vague or create confusion for screen reader users. That’s why we always ask:

What would a person miss if they couldn’t see this image?

Use the answer to guide your description.

Keep it concise

Effective alt text should be clear, meaningful, and concise. Usually one short sentence is enough.

Some screen readers stop reading alt text after 125 characters. It is a good guideline to make alt text fit this limit, as it also reduces the cognitive load. This is especially important if there are many images on the page, like a product listing page (PLP) on e-commerce websites.

If you exceed the 125 limit, take care to put all the important information in the first 125 characters.

Ways to shorten your alt text and keep it relevant:

• Don’t use “image of”, “graphic showing”, or “picture of”. Screen readers already announce it’s an image.

  Don’t:

  alt="Image of hoop earrings."

  Do:

  alt="Gold-plated hoop earrings with a twist design"

• No fluff and filler word, or repetition of surrounding text

  Don’t:

  alt="Image of a beautiful and stylish modern living room interior with a couch, table, rug, and a lamp, designed for comfort and elegance"

  Do:

  alt="Modern living room with minimalist grey couch and soft lighting"

• If an image requires a longer description, add a visible image description beneath. For example, put the data table near the chart. Be sure to check the table’s accessibility with a screen reader.

By focusing on what’s essential, you make your content easier to access and faster to navigate.

Improve SEO with alt text

Alt text isn’t just for accessibility. It’s also a powerful, often overlooked tool for improving your website’s search engine optimization (SEO).

Quote from Google’s article about how alt text effects SEO:

“The most important attribute when it comes to providing more metadata for an image is the alt text (text that describes an image), which also improves accessibility for people who can’t see images on web pages”

When written correctly, alt text can help your images rank in Google Image Search, reinforce the relevance of your page content, and improve SEO performance.

But here’s the key: accessibility and SEO are not in conflict. You don’t need to stuff keywords into alt text. In fact, that can hurt both your rankings and user experience.

Best practices for SEO-friendly (and accessible) alt text

Be descriptive and accurate

Describe the image in a concise and specific way, focusing on what’s most relevant to the content.

For example:

alt="Reusable stainless steel water bottle with bamboo lid." is better than alt="bottle".

Use keywords naturally

If your image is relevant to “eco-friendly drinkware”, it’s fine to include that phrase — as long as it fits the description naturally.

Avoid keyword stuffing like:

alt="eco-friendly drinkware water bottle reusable green bottle eco water"

Let your product images shine

For e-commerce sites, descriptive alt text can help your product pages surface in image search and boost relevance for long-tail queries like “lightweight waterproof hiking jacket”.

The alt text should supplement the product name and description, not just repeat the same information.

Don’t repeat the same alt text

Instead of copy-pasting the same alt text for similar images, tweak it to better suit each one.

Writing great alt text is a low-effort, high-impact strategy. If you are a small or medium business looking to get more value from your content, this is where you can start.

Branding with alt text

Alt text isn’t only about accessibility or SEO — it’s also a subtle but powerful branding tool. Alt text can reinforce your brand voice, values, and messaging, even for users who never see the visuals.

This is especially relevant for:

• e-commerce brands
• marketing agencies working on campaigns
• Software as a Service (SaaS) companies showcasing product screens
• inclusive brands

How to use alt text to strengthen your brand identity

Write in your brand voice

Whether your brand is playful, professional, or bold, reflect that tone in your descriptions.

Example:

alt="Playful hot pink sneakers, made of cotton canvas and vulcanized rubber, splashing through a puddle." feels more on-brand than alt="Pink shoes".

Tell the story behind the image

Go beyond what’s visible — describe what matters.

Example:

alt="Maria, the co-founder of Access Liaison, presenting at Web Summit 2024, sharing our journey to inclusive design." gives context to the image.

Support your brand positioning

Emphasize key attributes like sustainability, innovation, or craftsmanship. Example: alt="Handcrafted ceramic mug made from locally sourced clay."

Prioritize clarity and accuracy

Alt text isn’t the place to be overly clever or vague. Aim for clear, concise descriptions that offer real value to screen reader users.

Don’t:

alt="We're changing the game"

Do:

alt="Screenshot of our feature that lets users schedule automated reports in one click"

Expressive language is ok, as long as it helps users understand the image’s purpose.

How to make the best from alt texts in your industry

E-commerce brands’ alt text benefit

Use alt text to communicate product details (materials, features, context of use), lifestyle appeal, or unboxing experiences. This improves the product’s discoverability and the usability for persons with disabilities, leading to higher conversion rates.

Marketing agencies’ alt text benefit

Use it in storytelling to narrate campaigns, or behind-the-scenes visuals. They can strengthen a brand, and position it as inclusive and disability-aware.

SaaS companies’ alt text benefit

Use it to describe UI screens, app flows, and integrations so that they make sense for persons who can’t perceive them visually.

Alt text might be invisible to most users — but for those who need it, it’s part of their experience of your brand. Make it count.

Do not overrely on auto-generated alt text

AI-generated alt text might seem like a convenient shortcut. The truth is that it’s rarely a substitute for human-written descriptions.

Artificial intelligence algorithms can now excel in recognizing what is in the image. The issue is that they can’t understand what an image means within the context of the page.

Here’s why relying too much on auto-generated alt text can hurt your site:{#hurt}

• It's often inaccurate: AI might misidentify a product, misread text in images, or fail to grasp brand-specific visuals.
• It lacks context: An image of a laptop on a desk might be labeled `"computer"` but that doesn't help users understand it's a lifestyle image for a SaaS landing page or a product demo.
• It can undermine trust: For e-commerce brands, unclear image descriptions can lead to uncertainty and lost conversions.
• It doesn't meet compliance standards: WCAG and accessibility laws require meaningful alternative text, not automated guesses.

Quote from WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 1.1.1: Non-text Content:

“All non-text content that is presented to the user has a text alternative that serves the equivalent purpose”

We encourage our clients to treat alt text as part of their content strategy, not just a box to tick.

Instead of automating it, we recommend using a hybrid approach. Let tools suggest a starting point. Then review and refine descriptions manually.

Remember: thoughtful alt text supports both accessibility and SEO. Your human insight is what makes it valuable.

When alt text is redundant

Understanding when alt text is not needed is just as important as knowing when it is. Not every image on your website needs alt text — and in some cases, adding it can actually make the experience worse for screen reader users.

Alt text is redundant when the image does not provide any meaningful information beyond what’s already conveyed in nearby text. Repeating that same information in the image’s alt attribute creates unnecessary noise for users relying on assistive technology.

Here are a few common examples:{#common}

• Logos or icons placed beside the company name: If the text "Acme Agency" is written right next to the logo, adding `alt="Acme Agency"` to the image is repetitive. It’s better to use `alt=""` (empty alt text) so screen readers can skip it.
• Buttons with both text and icons: If a "Buy Now" button includes a shopping cart icon, you don’t need to write `alt="shopping cart"` on the icon. The button label already communicates the purpose.
• Images repeated for decorative purposes: For example, a checkmark icon next to each bullet point does not need a description — it adds no meaning.
• Graphs with fully described data underneath: If the chart’s data is already explained in a paragraph or data table right below it, including the same explanation in the alt text is redundant.

In these cases, we recommend using empty alt text (alt="") and ensuring the image is not focusable. This allows assistive technologies to move through your content more efficiently.

Make alt text part of your strategy

A good alt text makes your content more inclusive, searchable, and user-friendly. Whether you’re running an e-commerce site, designing a campaign, or presenting your SaaS platform, investing a few extra seconds into writing thoughtful alt text pays off.

Automated tools are improving fast, but they still miss the nuance of human judgment, brand voice, and real-world context.

With the improvements we suggest your brand will stand out in the sea of generic descriptions.