how to check if your images have alt text

When it comes to optimising your digital images, one crucial step often gets overlooked: adding alt text. This simple yet essential step can greatly improve the accessibility and search engine ranking of your online content. To get started, open up the image in question within your chosen image editing or management software. Check if the file has already been saved with alt text by looking for a 'Description' or 'Alt Text' field within the file properties or metadata section. If this information is not visible, you may need to use the software's built-in features or external tools to add it. Most modern image editing software allows users to enter their own alt text descriptions, so don't be afraid to get creative with your keywords and phrases. Alternatively, some platforms offer

Getting Started

Key Considerations

When checking if your images have alt text, it is essential to consider the importance of accessibility and search engine optimisation (SEO). Many websites require images to have alt text for users who rely on screen readers or those with visual impairments, as this allows them to receive a descriptive text alternative when navigating through content. Additionally, having alt text can also improve your website's SEO by providing a description of the image to search engines, which can help increase visibility and ranking. Furthermore, not having alt text can lead to penalties from search engines, making it crucial to ensure all images have this critical attribute. This ensures that your digital content is both accessible and optimised for online discovery.

Practical Steps

To check if your images have alt text, start by selecting the image in question and right-clicking on it. From the context menu, choose 'Inspect' or 'Inspect Element', depending on your web browser. This will open a developer tools window where you can examine the HTML code surrounding the image. Look for the 'alt' attribute within the 'img' tag - this is usually indicated by an 'alt=' prefix followed by a string of text. If alt text has been added, it should be visible in the HTML inspector; if not, you may need to add it yourself.

How to Put This Into Practice

1. Open your image editing software and select all the images you wish to check.
2. Go to the edit menu and choose 'properties' or similar options that allow you to view detailed information about each image.
3. In the properties window, look for an option called 'alt text', 'description', or 'alternative text' - this will vary depending on your software.
4. If an alt text field is present, read what it says - if there is no text in this field, the image does not have any alt text.
5. Make a note of which images do and don't have alt text, so you can update them as needed to meet accessibility standards.

Worked Example

A local bakery owner, Sarah, is getting ready to upload some of her latest cake designs onto her website. She has taken several high-quality photographs of each cake, but hasn't added any alternative text (alt text) yet. To check if the images have alt text, Sarah uses a browser's built-in accessibility features or a third-party tool to inspect each image. She discovers that one of the cake photos is missing alt text and decides to add "A delicious vanilla sponge cake with buttercream frosting" as an alternative description for this image. By doing so, she improves the website's accessibility and search engine optimisation (SEO) for customers searching for similar cakes online.