Alt text is the single most impactful thing you can do for image SEO and web accessibility. Yet according to our analysis, over 70% of WordPress sites have images with missing or inadequate alt text. Most sites either leave the field blank, stuff it with keywords, or write descriptions so vague they're useless for both search engines and screen readers.
This guide gives you a practical framework for writing great alt text, with 20 real-world examples across 10 categories showing exactly what works and what doesn't. Whether you manage a blog, an online store, or a portfolio, you'll find examples relevant to your situation. Each example includes a bad version, an explanation of why it fails, and a good version you can use as a template.
Table of Contents
1. What is Alt Text (Quick Recap)
Alt text (alternative text) is an HTML attribute added to image tags that describes the image content in words. In code, it looks like this: <img src="photo.jpg" alt="Description of the image here">. It serves three purposes: helping search engines understand and index images, enabling screen readers to describe images to visually impaired users, and providing fallback text when images fail to load. For a complete introduction, see our What is Alt Text beginner's guide.
2. The 7 Golden Rules of Alt Text
Before diving into examples, internalize these seven principles. Every good alt text follows them; every bad alt text violates at least one.
Rule 1: Be specific and descriptive. The goal is to paint a mental picture. Don't just name the object — describe its color, action, setting, and context. "Dog" tells you nothing. "Golden retriever catching a red frisbee mid-air at a sandy beach" creates a complete mental image.
Rule 2: Keep it under 125 characters when possible. Screen readers handle longer text, but concise descriptions are easier to process. Aim for one clear sentence. If an image truly requires more than 125 characters to describe adequately (like a complex infographic), consider using a long description or caption instead.
Rule 3: Include your target keyword naturally. If your page targets "best running shoes 2025" and the image shows running shoes, including that phrase is perfectly natural. But if the image shows a lifestyle shot of someone at a coffee shop, don't force "running shoes" into the description. Natural relevance, not keyword stuffing.
Rule 4: Don't start with "Image of" or "Photo of." Screen readers already announce that the element is an image. Starting with "Image of" creates a redundant and annoying experience: "Image, image of a dog playing fetch." Just describe the content directly.
Rule 5: Describe the purpose, not just the appearance. An image of a green checkmark on a pricing page isn't just "green checkmark" — it's "Feature included in this plan." Context matters as much as visual content.
Rule 6: Be unique for each image. If a product page has 5 photos, each one should have different alt text. "Nike shoes front view," "Nike shoes side profile showing Air cushioning," "Nike shoes being worn by runner on trail" — each adds unique information.
Rule 7: Use empty alt for decorative images. Background patterns, dividers, spacers, and purely ornamental graphics should use alt="" (empty alt, not missing alt). This tells screen readers to skip them entirely, creating a cleaner experience.
3. 20 Good vs Bad Examples by Category
E-commerce (Examples 1-5)
Example 1: Product Main Photo
❌ Bad: alt="product"
Why it fails: Completely generic. Google can't tell if this is a shoe, a lamp, or a refrigerator. No SEO value whatsoever. A user with a screen reader learns absolutely nothing about what's being sold.
✅ Good: alt="Nike Air Max 270 React running shoes in university red with black swoosh, side view"
Why it works: Brand name, product name, color, key visual feature, angle. Hits multiple search queries naturally while being genuinely descriptive.
Example 2: Product Lifestyle Shot
❌ Bad: alt="woman wearing our product"
Why it fails: "Our product" tells search engines nothing. Which product? What does it look like on a person?
✅ Good: alt="Woman running on a forest trail wearing Nike Air Max 270 React shoes in university red"
Why it works: Describes the scene, the action, the setting, and the product — all in one natural sentence.
Example 3: Product Close-up Detail
❌ Bad: alt="close-up"
Why it fails: Close-up of what? This adds zero information.
✅ Good: alt="Close-up of Nike Air Max 270 visible Air cushioning unit and textured rubber outsole"
Why it works: Describes the specific feature being highlighted, which matches queries like "Air Max 270 cushioning" or "Nike sole technology."
Example 4: Product in Packaging
❌ Bad: alt="box"
✅ Good: alt="Nike Air Max 270 shoe box with orange lid open, revealing the shoes nestled in tissue paper"
Why it works: Describes the unboxing experience, which matters for queries about packaging, gift-giving, and product presentation.
Example 5: Size/Color Variant
❌ Bad: alt="variant"
✅ Good: alt="Nike Air Max 270 available in three colors: university red, triple black, and pure white"
Why it works: Names the specific color options, which matches how people search for products by color.
Blog & Content (Examples 6-8)
Example 6: Blog Header Image
❌ Bad: alt="blog header" or alt="featured image"
Why it fails: Describes the image's role on the page, not what it shows. Useless for SEO and accessibility.
✅ Good: alt="Developer analyzing image SEO audit results on a widescreen monitor in a modern office"
Why it works: Descriptive of the actual visual content and relevant to the blog post topic (image SEO).
Example 7: Screenshot in Tutorial
❌ Bad: alt="screenshot"
✅ Good: alt="WordPress media library settings panel showing the alt text input field highlighted in the image details sidebar"
Why it works: Tells the screen reader user exactly what the screenshot shows, which is critical for following a tutorial without being able to see the images.
Example 8: Infographic or Chart
❌ Bad: alt="chart" or alt="infographic"
✅ Good: alt="Bar chart comparing image load times: unoptimized JPEG 4.8s, optimized JPEG 2.1s, WebP 1.4s, AVIF 0.9s"
Why it works: Conveys the actual data and insight from the chart. A screen reader user gets the same key takeaway as a sighted user.
Portfolio & Creative (Examples 9-10)
Example 9: Photography Portfolio
❌ Bad: alt="photo by John"
✅ Good: alt="Aerial drone photo of turquoise ocean waves breaking on a volcanic black sand beach in Iceland"
Why it works: Describes the scene vividly. For a photographer, the alt text serves as both an accessibility feature and a way to attract Google Image search traffic for "aerial ocean photography" or "black sand beach Iceland."
Example 10: Artwork or Illustration
❌ Bad: alt="painting"
✅ Good: alt="Abstract oil painting with bold intersecting strokes of crimson red and deep cobalt blue on a large gallery canvas"
Why it works: Captures the medium, colors, style, and scale — everything a viewer would notice first.
SaaS & Technology (Examples 11-12)
Example 11: Dashboard Screenshot
❌ Bad: alt="dashboard"
✅ Good: alt="SightSEO dashboard showing 2,340 credits remaining, 156 images processed this month, and a 30-day usage chart"
Why it works: Describes the actual content of the dashboard, which helps both SEO (product name) and accessibility (what the screen shows).
Example 12: Feature Illustration
❌ Bad: alt="feature"
✅ Good: alt="Illustration showing SightSEO processing workflow: image upload, AI analysis, alt text generation in 2 seconds"
Why it works: Explains what the illustration communicates rather than just naming the element type.
Food & Restaurant (Examples 13-14)
Example 13: Menu Item Photo
❌ Bad: alt="food"
✅ Good: alt="Grilled Atlantic salmon fillet with lemon dill sauce, served with roasted asparagus and wild rice on a white plate"
Why it works: Describes the dish completely — protein, preparation, sauce, sides, and presentation. Matches how people search for restaurant dishes.
Example 14: Restaurant Interior
❌ Bad: alt="restaurant"
✅ Good: alt="Intimate candlelit dining room at Le Jardin restaurant with exposed brick walls, wooden tables, and hanging greenery"
Why it works: Names the restaurant, describes the ambiance — critical for people deciding where to eat based on atmosphere.
Real Estate (Examples 15-16)
Example 15: Property Exterior
❌ Bad: alt="house for sale"
✅ Good: alt="Modern three-bedroom detached house with white render facade, double garage, and landscaped front garden on Elm Street, Lyon"
Why it works: Includes property type, size indicator, architectural details, and location — all things that potential buyers search for.
Example 16: Interior Room
❌ Bad: alt="living room"
✅ Good: alt="Spacious open-plan living room with floor-to-ceiling windows, hardwood flooring, and a marble fireplace, 45 square meters"
Why it works: Describes the key selling features that someone browsing listings would want to know about: size, flooring, natural light, premium features.
Medical & Healthcare (Example 17)
Example 17: Medical Equipment or Procedure
❌ Bad: alt="dental"
✅ Good: alt="Dentist examining patient's teeth using an intraoral camera, displaying magnified image on a chairside monitor"
Why it works: Describes the procedure and the technology being used, which is informative for patients researching dental care. Avoid overly clinical language that might be distressing.
Travel & Tourism (Example 18)
Example 18: Destination Photo
❌ Bad: alt="beautiful view"
✅ Good: alt="Panoramic sunset view over Santorini caldera with white-washed buildings and blue-domed churches in Oia village"
Why it works: Names the specific location, the time of day, and the iconic visual elements. Matches travel search queries precisely: "Santorini sunset," "Oia village view," "Santorini caldera."
Education (Example 19)
Example 19: Classroom or Learning
❌ Bad: alt="students"
✅ Good: alt="Group of five university students collaborating on a robotics project at a workbench in an engineering lab"
Why it works: Describes the activity, the number of people, and the setting — providing meaningful context about what learning looks like at the institution.
Fitness & Sports (Example 20)
Example 20: Exercise or Sports Action
❌ Bad: alt="workout"
✅ Good: alt="Woman performing a barbell back squat with 80kg at a CrossFit gym, coach spotting from behind"
Why it works: Names the specific exercise, the weight, the gym type, and the presence of a coach — all relevant for people searching for CrossFit gyms, squat technique, or personal training.
4. The Alt Text Formula for Any Image
If you're unsure how to approach a specific image, use this universal formula. It works for any category and ensures your alt text hits the right balance of descriptive, concise, and SEO-relevant.
The Universal Formula:
[Subject/What] + [Action/State] + [Key Detail/Feature] + [Context/Setting]
Example: "Golden retriever (subject) catching (action) a red frisbee (detail) mid-air at a sandy beach (context)"
For e-commerce specifically, modify the formula to prioritize product data:
E-commerce Formula:
[Brand] + [Product Name] + [Color/Material/Feature] + [Angle/Context]
Example: "Patagonia Better Sweater fleece jacket in stone blue, front view with quarter-zip detail"
Not every image needs all four components. A simple product photo on a white background might just need brand + product name + color + "on white background." A complex lifestyle shot might use all four components. Use your judgment — the formula is a starting point, not a rigid rule.
5. 5 Common Alt Text Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)
Mistake 1: Leaving alt text completely empty. This is the most common issue by far. Our analysis found that 67% of images with missing alt text simply had no alt attribute at all — not even an empty one. The fix is systematic: use a tool to audit your entire media library and identify all images with missing alt text, then process them in bulk with an AI generator or manual review.
Mistake 2: Using the filename as alt text. Many content management systems default to the filename when no alt text is provided, resulting in descriptions like "IMG_20250301_142356" or "DSC_0012." These are meaningless to both search engines and screen readers. Always replace auto-generated alt text with actual descriptions.
Mistake 3: Keyword stuffing. Writing alt text like "buy cheap nike shoes best running shoes nike shoes sale discount running shoes 2025" is a guaranteed way to trigger Google's spam filters. It also creates a terrible experience for screen reader users who have to listen to a string of repetitive keywords. Use your keyword once, naturally, within a descriptive sentence.
Mistake 4: Writing the same alt text for multiple images. If your product page has 6 photos and they all say "Nike Air Max 270," you're wasting 5 opportunities to provide unique descriptions and target additional keywords. Each image should describe what makes that particular photo unique — the angle, the detail being shown, the context.
Mistake 5: Being too vague. "A person at a desk" or "office scene" or "food plate" provide almost no value. Be specific about what you see: colors, brands, actions, settings, quantities. Specificity is what makes alt text useful for both SEO and accessibility.
6. When NOT to Add Alt Text
Not every image needs descriptive alt text. Decorative images — background patterns, visual dividers, spacer graphics, ornamental borders, and purely aesthetic elements — should use empty alt text: alt="". This is different from omitting the alt attribute entirely. An empty alt attribute tells screen readers to skip the image completely, which is the correct behavior for decorative elements.
How to decide? Ask yourself: "If I removed this image, would the user miss any information?" If the answer is no — if the image is purely visual decoration — use alt="". If removing the image would cause the user to miss information, the image is informative and needs descriptive alt text.
Common examples of decorative images that should use empty alt:
- Background gradients and patterns used for visual styling
- Decorative borders, dividers, and spacers between content sections
- Icon graphics that accompany text labels (the text already conveys the meaning)
- Purely aesthetic hero images where the page heading already communicates the topic
- Brand pattern overlays or watermarks that don't add informational content
7. How Long Should Alt Text Be?
The ideal length for alt text is between 80 and 150 characters, which typically translates to one to two sentences. This range is long enough to be meaningfully descriptive while short enough to be comfortable for screen reader users who hear every description read aloud.
Some important nuances about length. Screen readers do not have a strict character limit — most can handle descriptions of any length. However, very long descriptions (300+ characters) create a poor listening experience and may cause users to skip past them. If an image truly requires a long description (like a complex data visualization or infographic), use the longdesc attribute or provide the extended description in the surrounding page text, with concise alt text that summarizes the key takeaway.
On the SEO side, Google reads the full alt text regardless of length, but extremely long alt text may be seen as keyword stuffing if it's packed with search terms. Keep it natural and concise. If you can say it in 100 characters, don't pad it to 200.
8. Automating Alt Text with AI
Writing alt text manually works for small sites with a few dozen images. But what about sites with hundreds or thousands of images? Most e-commerce stores have 500 to 50,000+ product images, and most established blogs have accumulated hundreds of images over time. Manual writing at that scale requires dozens or hundreds of hours of tedious work.
This is where AI-powered alt text generators fundamentally change the equation. Modern computer vision models can analyze an image and produce descriptive, natural-language text that's comparable in quality to what a skilled human writer would produce — in 2-3 seconds per image instead of 1-2 minutes.
The best AI alt text tools go beyond simple image description. They integrate with your existing SEO workflow to produce alt text that's not just descriptive but strategically optimized. Here's what to look for when evaluating tools:
- SEO plugin integration — Does it pull your focus keyword from Yoast, Rank Math, or other SEO plugins?
- E-commerce awareness — Does it include product names and categories for WooCommerce images?
- Multilingual support — Can it generate alt text in the language your audience speaks?
- Bulk processing — Can it process your entire existing library, not just new uploads?
- Quality and naturalness — Does the output read like natural human writing?
- Custom prompts — Can you customize the tone, style, and focus of the generated text?
Generate perfect alt text automatically — based on all 7 rules above
SightSEO applies these best practices to every image. AI vision + SEO keywords + WooCommerce + 130 languages. 25 free credits, no card needed.
Try for free →Whether you write alt text manually or automate it with AI, the most important thing is that every informative image on your site has a meaningful description. The examples in this guide give you the framework. The tools make it practical at scale. And the SEO and accessibility benefits make it one of the highest-ROI investments you can make in your website.
For a broader perspective on image optimization beyond alt text, read our complete Image SEO guide. And to understand the legal requirements for image accessibility, see our European Accessibility Act guide.
9. How to Test Your Alt Text Quality
Once you've written or generated alt text for your images, how do you know if it's actually good? Here are three practical testing methods that take only a few minutes.
The phone test. Read the alt text aloud to someone who can't see the image, as if you were describing it over the phone. Does the listener get an accurate mental picture? If they can correctly guess what the image shows based on your description alone, the alt text passes. If their mental picture is vague or inaccurate, the alt text needs more specificity.
The screen reader test. Install a free screen reader like NVDA (Windows) or use VoiceOver (built into Mac and iOS) to navigate your page with your eyes closed. Listen to how each image is described. Does the experience make sense? Can you understand the page content without seeing the images? This test often reveals issues that you'd never catch visually — like redundant descriptions, unhelpful alt text that breaks the reading flow, or decorative images that should have been marked with empty alt.
The SEO audit test. Use Screaming Frog or a similar crawler to generate a list of all images on your site with their alt text. Export this to a spreadsheet and review. Look for: empty alt text on informative images, duplicate alt text across multiple images, alt text that doesn't match the visible image content, keyword stuffing patterns, and alt text that's either too short (under 20 characters) or too long (over 200 characters). This systematic review catches issues that manual spot-checking misses.
Combining all three methods — human empathy testing, assistive technology testing, and systematic auditing — gives you confidence that your alt text is working well for both SEO and accessibility. Make it a quarterly practice to re-audit your most important pages.
Apply these best practices automatically
SightSEO generates alt text following all 7 rules. 25 free credits, no card required.