Image Alt Text Checker
Scan any webpage to find images missing alt text. Improve your site's accessibility and image SEO with our free alt tag checker tool.
Check Your Page
Enter a URL to scan for images and analyze their alt text attributes
What is Alt Text?
Alt text (alternative text) is a description added to HTML image tags that:
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Enter a URL and click "Check Alt Text" to analyze images
Your image alt text analysis will appear here
Understanding the Results
How to Use the Image Alt Text Checker
Our free image alt text checker makes it easy to audit any webpage for missing or empty alt attributes. Here's how to get started:
- Enter the URL of the page you want to check in the input field above
- Click "Check Alt Text" to scan the page for all images
- Review the results showing total images, those with alt text, missing alt text, and empty alt attributes
- Use the tabs to filter and focus on images that need attention
- Export to CSV to share findings with your team or keep records
- Fix the issues by adding descriptive alt text to images missing it
This alt tag checker works on any publicly accessible webpage, including your own website, competitor sites, or any page you're auditing for accessibility compliance.
Why Alt Text is Critical for SEO and Accessibility
Image alt text (alternative text) serves two essential purposes: making your website accessible to users with visual impairments and helping search engines understand your images. Ignoring alt text can hurt both your SEO rankings and exclude millions of potential visitors.
Accessibility Benefits
- Screen readers announce alt text to blind users
- Required for WCAG 2.1 AA compliance
- Legal requirement in many jurisdictions
- Improves experience when images fail to load
SEO Benefits
- Helps images rank in Google Image Search
- Provides context for search engine crawlers
- Keyword opportunity for relevant terms
- Improves overall page relevance signals
Google specifically states that alt text is one of the key factors they use to understand images. According to Google's Search Central documentation, "Google uses alt text along with computer vision algorithms and the contents of the page to understand the subject matter of the image."
For e-commerce websites, alt text is especially important. Product images with optimized alt text can appear in Google Image Search, driving additional traffic and potential sales. An image accessibility checker like ours helps ensure you're not leaving money on the table.
How to Write Effective Alt Text
Writing good alt text is both an art and a science. Follow these guidelines to create alt text that serves both accessibility and SEO purposes:
Be Descriptive and Specific
Describe what's actually in the image, not what you want it to be.
Keep It Concise (Under 125 Characters)
Screen readers may cut off alt text that's too long. Aim for complete but brief descriptions.
Include Keywords Naturally
If relevant, include your target keywords, but never at the expense of accuracy.
Don't Start with "Image of" or "Photo of"
Screen readers already announce that it's an image. Get straight to the description.
Use Empty Alt for Decorative Images
For purely decorative images (backgrounds, borders, spacers), use alt="" so screen readers skip them.
Alt Text Best Practices by Image Type
Product Images
Include product name, brand, color, and key features
alt="Nike Air Max 270 women's running shoe in coral pink, size 8"Infographics & Charts
Summarize the key data or conclusion shown
alt="Bar chart showing 40% increase in organic traffic from 2023 to 2024"Team/People Photos
Include names and context when relevant
alt="Sarah Johnson, CEO of TechCorp, speaking at the 2024 annual conference"Screenshots
Describe what the screenshot shows and its purpose
alt="WordPress dashboard showing how to install the SEO plugin"Logos
Include company name and optionally "logo"
alt="PikaSEO logo" or alt="Acme Corporation"Icons
Describe the action or meaning, not the icon itself
alt="Search" not alt="magnifying glass icon"Frequently Asked Questions About Image Alt Text
What is alt text and why is it important?▼
Alt text (alternative text) is an HTML attribute added to image tags that provides a text description of the image. It's important for two main reasons: accessibility (screen readers read alt text to blind users) and SEO (search engines use alt text to understand and rank images). Without alt text, your images are invisible to both search engines and users who rely on assistive technology.
How long should alt text be?▼
Keep alt text under 125 characters for optimal compatibility with screen readers. Some screen readers cut off alt text after 125 characters, so be concise but descriptive. For complex images like infographics, consider using a short alt text with a longer description in the surrounding content or a separate longdesc attribute.
When should I use empty alt text (alt="")?▼
Use empty alt text (alt="") for purely decorative images that don't convey meaningful content. This includes background decorations, spacer images, ornamental borders, and icons that duplicate text already present. Empty alt text tells screen readers to skip the image entirely, improving the experience for users who don't need to hear about decorative elements.
Does alt text affect Google Image Search rankings?▼
Yes, alt text significantly impacts Google Image Search rankings. Google explicitly states that alt text is one of the primary factors they use to understand image content. Well-optimized alt text can help your images appear in Google Image Search results, driving additional traffic to your site. For e-commerce sites, this can be a significant source of product discovery.
What's the difference between missing alt and empty alt?▼
Missing alt means the alt attribute is completely absent from the img tag. This is an accessibility violation because screen readers may read the filename instead, which is often unhelpful. Empty alt (alt="") is intentional and tells screen readers to skip the image. Missing alt is always a problem to fix; empty alt is correct for decorative images.
Should I include keywords in alt text?▼
Include keywords naturally when they're relevant to the image content. Never stuff keywords into alt text just for SEO - this can harm both accessibility and search rankings. If your image genuinely depicts something related to your target keyword, include it naturally in the description. Google is sophisticated enough to detect and penalize keyword stuffing in alt text.
How do I check alt text on my competitor's website?▼
Use our Image Alt Text Checker by entering any public URL. The tool will scan all images on the page and show you their alt text (or lack thereof). This is useful for competitive analysis to see how well-optimized competitor sites are, and to get inspiration for your own alt text strategy.
Is alt text required by law?▼
In many jurisdictions, yes. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), European Accessibility Act, and similar laws in other countries require websites to be accessible. Alt text is a fundamental requirement of WCAG 2.1 Level A compliance. Failure to provide alt text can expose businesses to legal liability and lawsuits, which have increased significantly in recent years.