Free tools
Alt text checker
Enter a page address to list every image with missing, empty or suspicious alt text: file names, generic words like "image", text over 150 characters and the same text repeated across images. You get a count, examples and what to fix. Missing alt text is one of the most common WCAG 2.2 failures.
Alt text report
Fix estimate: fixing alt text and the other common WCAG 2.2 AA template issues on a small business site is $500 to $2,000, our published accessibility add-on. Fixed quote in 24 hours.
Email me the full alt text report as a PDF
The PDF lists every image with its alt text and why it was flagged, plus how to write good alt text and a fix estimate in US dollars.
What the checker looks for
It reads the HTML your server sends and finds every visible img, image button (input type="image"), image map area and element with role="img". Each one is sorted into one of four groups:
| Group | What it means |
|---|---|
| Missing | No alt attribute and no aria-label, or an empty alt on an image that is the only content of a link or button, which leaves the link with no name. Fails WCAG 1.1.1. |
| Suspicious | Alt text that looks like a file name (IMG_2041.jpg, hero-banner-final-2), a generic word (image, photo, logo, banner), over 150 characters, starting with "image of", or the same text repeated on four or more images. |
| Marked decorative | alt="" tells screen readers to skip the image. Correct for decoration, wrong for an image that carries meaning, so check each one. |
| Looks fine | Has alt text that passed the checks above. A person still needs to judge whether it describes the image well. |
Images added later by JavaScript, CSS background images and images inside iframes are not in the HTML we fetch, so they are not listed. For a wider check of the same page, run the accessibility checker.
How to write good alt text
- Describe what the image means in that spot, in one short sentence.
- For a linked image or icon button, describe the destination or action, such as "Book an appointment".
- Use alt="" for decoration. Do not leave the attribute out, or screen readers may read the file name.
- Keep it under about 150 characters. Put charts and detailed descriptions in nearby text or a caption.
More in our WCAG 2.2 checklist and web accessibility guide.
Getting it fixed
Every page we build or fix is tested to WCAG 2.2 AA. If you want a person to check the whole site, see our ADA compliance audit. If you already know what is wrong, our accessibility remediation service fixes it in the code, not with an overlay. For a broader automated scan of one page, use the free accessibility checker.
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FAQ Answers
Frequently asked questions
Alt text is the text alternative for an image, set with the alt attribute. Screen readers read it out, browsers show it if the image fails to load, and search engines use it to understand the image. WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 requires a text alternative for every image that carries meaning.
Every image needs an alt attribute, but not every image needs words in it. Decorative images should have an empty alt (alt="") so screen readers skip them. Images that carry meaning, and every image that is a link or button, need descriptive alt text.
As short as it can be while still saying what matters, usually one sentence. Many screen readers handle long alt text poorly, so over about 150 characters move the detail into a caption or nearby text.
It looks like a file name, uses a generic word such as image or logo on its own, is over 150 characters, starts with "image of", or is repeated on four or more images. Suspicious does not always mean wrong; it means a person should look at it.
No. The alt text checker lists every image and its alt text in detail. The accessibility checker runs about 15 checks, including alt text, across the whole page and gives a score.
Fixed quote
Get a fixed quote in 24 hours
Free, with no obligation. We reply within 24 hours, Monday to Friday, with a written fixed price or the questions we need answered first.
- Accessibility fixes, small site
- $500 to $2,000
- Small business website
- About $2,000
- Larger site or redesign
- $3,000 to $6,000
- Web app MVP
- $8,000 to $15,000
- Fixed price in US dollars, in writing, before work starts
- Built and fixed to WCAG 2.2 AA, tested by hand
- Code, content and accounts are yours on final payment
Prefer to talk? Call +1 (365) 440-1786 or email info@fourcents.ca.
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