Univeristy of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Univeristy of Wisconsin-Green Bay

Log

Updates & Announcements for the UW-Green Bay Community

Don’t Skip the Alt Text—Here’s Why

By

Kimberly Vlies

|

Last month, we boosted awareness for Title II Digital Accessibility by sharing the Top 5 Habits you can start today. This month, we’re diving deeper into the most frequent accessibility issue across our documents and websites: Alternative Text (Alt Text).

True to our access mission, we are boldly committed making content everyone can use—regardless of ability. The April 2026 compliance deadline to meet minimum digital accessibility standards is also a motivating factor. Mastering Alt Text is one of the easiest and most impactful ways you contribute to this goal. It takes seconds, but its impact lasts for years.

Video: Intro to Alt Text

We’ve found a great, quick (2min. 38 sec.) video that clearly demonstrates the “why” and “how” of this crucial habit: “Introduction to Alt Text in Web Accessibility” by WebYes.

What is Alt Text?

Alt Text is a short, descriptive sentence—or sometimes just a few words—that provides a textual equivalent to a non-text element (like an image, chart, or graphic).

When a user relies on a screen reader (assistive technology), the program reads the Alt Text aloud, ensuring that user receives the same information as a sighted person. If an image fails to load, the Alt Text displays in its place.

Why Alt Text is Your Superpower (The Hidden Benefits)

Alt Text is required to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards, but the benefits aren’t limited to compliance:

  • Equal Access is Our Goal: This is the core reason. Alt Text ensures that students and colleagues who are visually impaired or use screen readers do not miss crucial information conveyed by a diagram, a screenshot of a process, or a chart.
  • Easier to Find: Technologies like search engines (like Google, Bing), AI bots, and even your own hard drive can’t easily “see” images, but they can read Alt Text. Using descriptive Alt Text helps computer-based systems understand your content, making your documents, posts and pages more likely to appear in relevant search results.
  • Fail-safe Method: Alt Text is crucial for maintaining a fast, functional experience on variable networks. If a large image fails to load or loads slowly (common on cellular data or in rural settings), the Alt Text instantly delivers the critical context. This prevents a poor user experience and allows those with limited plans to save on data usage.

4 Rules for Writing Effective Alt Text

Writing good Alt Text is about quality, not quantity. Follow these quick rules to make your descriptions clear, concise, and useful:

  1. Be Concise, Contextual, and Avoid Repeating Text: Keep it short (ideally under 125 characters). Describe what is important about the image in the context of the surrounding text and don’t simply repeat the image’s caption or the surrounding body text.
    • Bad: Photo of students at library.
    • Good: Students collaborate on a project in a study room inside the Cofrin Library.
  2. Don’t Say “Image of”: Screen readers automatically announce that the element is an image, so starting with “image of” or “photo of” is redundant and wastes the user’s time.
  3. Mark Decorative Images: If an image is purely for visual flair (like a small border, or an abstract background pattern) and conveys no information, mark it as decorative. This tells the screen reader to skip it entirely. (Web hint: The HTML equivalent is an empty alternate text attribute, i.e., alt="")
  4. Handle Complex Visuals Separately: For detailed charts, graphs, or infographics, don’t try to fit all the data into the Alt Text. Instead:
    • Alt Text: Provide a brief summary of the chart and its primary insight (e.g., “Bar chart showing a 15% student enrollment increase from 2023 to 2024”).
    • Body Text: Provide the detailed data or a link to the data table in the surrounding content, accessible to everyone.

Alt Text How-To

Ready to put this into practice? Alt Text is easily added in almost every content editor we use.

  • In Microsoft Office: Right-click the image and select View Alt Text (or Edit Alt Text).
  • In Canvas Rich Content Editor: Click the image, then select the image icon to open the options/attributes panel.
  • In Kentico: Click the image to open the tool panel and click the “T” icon. Enter your Alt Text and click Update. Kentico marks all images as decorative by default, unless you enter Alt Text.
  • On Social Media: While the steps vary slightly by platform, the process is generally the same. When you upload an image or GIF, look for an an option titled “Edit,” “Accessibility,” “Alt Text,” or a pencil icon. Refer to help documentation for each platform: Facebook; Instagram; X (Twitter)

AI and Alt Text: A Helpful Starting Point

Many software platforms now use AI to generate Alt Text automatically. This can be a great way to get started, especially with complex or generic images.

However, AI-generated Alt Text should never be used without human review. AI often focuses on general recognition (e.g., “A group of people standing”) and misses the specific context or purpose of the image within your document. Always read the description and edit it to follow best practice.

Example Prompts for AI Tools:

For contextual images: “Determine the purpose of this image based on this surrounding text: ‘[insert surrounding text here]’. Describe the image in under 100 characters, focusing on visible elements and actions. Exclude emotions or subjective details. Use an 8th grade reading level.”

For basic images: “Describe the image in under 100 characters, focusing on visible elements and actions. Exclude emotions or subjective details. Use an 8th grade reading level.”

You’re Not in This Alone

Making this simple habit part of your routine is a bold step toward creating a more inclusive university. There are resources available to help you learn and apply digital accessibility skills:

Need help?

University Support is available from multiple offices depending on your digital accessibility needs.