This is practical accessibility guidance for first-pass triage. It is not legal advice, a formal audit, WCAG certification, or a conformance guarantee.

What this means

The image is marked as decorative with alt="".

Why it matters

Empty alt text is correct for decorative images, but wrong for meaningful product, chart, service, or action images.

How to fix it

  • Leave alt="" only when the image adds no information.
  • Add useful alt text when the image communicates content or function.
  • Never rely on empty alt for an image that is the only link content.
  • Avoid repeating nearby text unless that is the best accessible name.

What automated checks can detect

A checker can detect empty alt attributes.

What still needs manual review

Human judgement is required to decide whether the image is truly decorative. Content editors should review page-by-page because the same image may be decorative in one place and informative in another.

Automation cannot prove an image is decorative in context.

Related tools and guides