Alt Text Writing Guide

Use these guardrails to produce accessible and search-friendly alternative text for images.

Best Practices

• Describe the essential information in the image within 125 characters.
• Mention context that matters to conversions (e.g., product name, offer).
• Avoid phrases like "image of" or "picture showing".
• Include keywords only when they naturally fit the description.

Workflow

1. Identify the image purpose and placement on the page.
2. Summarize the visual elements that influence comprehension.
3. Draft concise alt text and review with accessibility checks.
4. Record approved alt text in the Creative QA Template.

Examples

• Product hero: Stainless steel coffee press with reusable filter on marble countertop
• Social proof: Customer quote praising one-day shipping next to five-star badge
• Event promo: Speaker lineup for Growth Summit 2024 with session times

Troubleshooting

• If the image contains text, ensure the message appears in the alt text.
• For decorative imagery, leave alt text blank (alt="").
• Use the AI Image Analyzer to validate contrast, metadata, and compliance.