# Alternative Text

> Choose useful wording for an image placement by keeping inspected observations, page purpose and human approval together.

A fictional refill-station image illustrates why the same asset can need different wording in an article, banner or link.

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](/guides/design/ai-alt-text-context-review) 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](/guides/design/ai-chart-long-descriptions) to inspect the evidence and approve the chart’s page implementation. Guessing numbers from an unavailable image does not create an equivalent.

[AltText.ai](/tools/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.

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_Source: https://agentscamp.com/glossary/alternative-text — Term on AgentsCamp._