Alternative Text

Alternative text communicates image meaning or function in context.

Consider an invented refill-station photo. In an article about the station, inspected features such as a tap and bottle slots may help the reader recognize it. In a decorative banner, the same photo may add no essential information. A linked icon needs wording that explains the verified destination or action, rather than a list of its shapes and colors.

The alt-text context review workflow keeps the asset version, actual observations, page purpose, and approved wording together. This makes reuse inspectable: changing the crop, nearby text, or link destination can change what the reader needs.

A short alternative cannot always carry a complex chart’s essential information. Use the chart long-description workflow to inspect the evidence and approve the chart’s page implementation. Guessing numbers from an unavailable image does not create an equivalent.

AltText.ai is one service to evaluate for drafting. Review any generated wording against supplied observations and the actual placement. Preserve uncertainty when evidence is missing, remove unsupported conclusions, and have a human inspect the implementation. A polished draft alone does not show that the correct image received the correct text.

Keep the approved wording tied to the exact page placement so a later reuse prompts review.