Alt text describes the image’s purpose in its particular context. Before editing a WordPress field, decide whether the image conveys information, performs a function or is purely decorative. The same file may need different treatment on different pages.
Describe the useful information
For an informative image, communicate the detail a reader would miss without seeing it. A product photograph may identify a relevant finish or view; a diagram may require a fuller explanation in nearby text. Avoid filling the field with repeated search phrases or describing details that do not help the current task.
Handle function and decoration differently
When an image acts as a link or control, its accessible description should explain the function. A purely decorative image can use empty alternative text when the surrounding implementation supports that purpose. Do not assume that every missing value is an error or that a filename is a meaningful replacement.
Check the published occurrence
Review the image where it is used, not only its media-library record. Inspect the output after a theme or editor change and verify meaningful images in each language. Gavek’s snapshot can count HTML signals but cannot determine the right editorial description from a count alone.
Put the method to work
Illustrative decision: a close-up of a floor sample shows the surface finish on a product page, so its description names that detail. The same photograph used behind a heading is decorative. Its treatment follows the page role rather than a universal keyword formula.
Your next steps
- Identify the image’s role.
- Write the missing useful information.
- Avoid keyword lists and filenames.
- Verify the live occurrence and language.
Questions & answers
Should every image have descriptive text?
No. Decorative images need appropriate decorative treatment; informative and functional images need descriptions suited to their role.
Does changing media-library text update every use?
Do not assume so. Inspect the published image occurrence because editors, themes and stored page content can differ.
Documentation & further reading
- www.w3.org · › WAI › tutorials › images › decision-tree ›
- wordpress.org · › documentation › article › image-block ›
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