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GLOSSARY

What is Alt text?

DEFINITION

Alt text is a short written description attached to an image in the page's code. Screen readers speak it aloud for people who cannot see the image, and it is displayed if the image fails to load.

Search engines also use it to understand what the image shows. Good alt text describes the image in plain words and its purpose on the page, for example a photo of two electricians fitting a panel, not a string of keywords. Purely decorative images should have empty alt text so screen readers skip them. Why it matters: It makes your site usable for visitors with visual impairments and helps your images be understood in search.

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