Online Tool Store
· 3 min read
How to Find Images Missing Alt Text
Manesh Jayawardhana
CIO & Co-founder
Images can carry important meaning, but that meaning is lost when the HTML has no useful alt text. Screen reader users may miss context, search engines get less information, and broken-image experiences become weaker. The problem is easy to introduce when pages are built quickly or content comes from multiple sources.
An alt text auditor helps you scan HTML for images missing alt attributes so you can fix the most obvious accessibility gaps.
What alt text auditing involves
The alt attribute gives a text alternative for an image. Informative images should have useful alt text. Decorative images often need an empty alt="" so assistive technology can skip them.
Auditing means finding image tags, checking whether alt exists, and deciding whether the value is appropriate for the image’s purpose.
Why people get stuck here
Many automated checks only tell you whether the attribute exists, not whether the text is good. Still, missing attributes are the best first cleanup target because they are objective and easy to locate.
Another common issue is placeholder text. An image with alt="image" technically has an attribute, but it does not help the reader.
| Image Type | Better Alt Approach |
|---|---|
| Product photo | Describe the product and key detail |
| Chart | Summarize the insight |
| Decorative divider | Use empty alt |
| Icon button | Describe the action |
What a good audit looks like
Missing attributes are listed clearly
You should know which image tags need attention.
Decorative images are handled intentionally
Empty alt text is valid when the image is truly decorative.
Content purpose guides the wording
Alt text should describe the meaning of the image in context, not every visual detail.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Leaving alt off completely. Use useful text or an intentional empty value.
- Writing “image of” repeatedly. Screen readers already announce images.
- Stuffing keywords. Alt text should serve users first.
- Using the same alt text for every image. Context matters.
How to do it with Alt Text Auditor
- Open the free Alt Text Auditor.
- Paste the HTML you want to check.
- Review images that are missing alt attributes.
- Decide whether each image is informative or decorative.
- Add useful alt text or
alt=""where appropriate.
This gives you a fast first pass before deeper accessibility review.
Frequently asked questions
Should every image have alt text?
Every image should have an alt attribute. Informative images need useful text, while decorative images can use alt="".
Does alt text help SEO?
It can help search engines understand image context, but accessibility should be the primary reason to write it well.
Is missing alt always an error?
Missing the attribute is usually a problem. Empty alt can be correct when intentional for decorative images.
Final thought
Alt text is small, but it changes who can understand a page. Start by finding missing attributes, then improve the quality of the descriptions.