Find images missing alt text

SiteCurl scans every image on your pages and checks for the alt attribute. Images with no alt text, images with an empty alt on content images, and images where the alt tag is missing entirely all get flagged separately.

Alt text does two things. It tells people who cannot see the image what it shows. It also gives search engines text to index. Missing alt text fails on both counts. SiteCurl checks every img tag on every page in your scan, so nothing slips through on pages you forgot to update.

The check distinguishes between missing alt attributes (no alt tag at all) and empty alt attributes (alt=''). The first is almost always a problem. The second is correct for decorative images.

When a screen reader hits an image with no alt text, one of two things happens. Some readers say the file name out loud: 'IMG underscore 2024 underscore DSC zero three seven four dot jpeg.' Others just say 'image' and move on. Neither helps. The visitor knows there is an image but has no clue what it shows.

This is not rare. The WebAIM Million study found that 22% of all images on the web lack alt text. On a 50-page site, that can mean dozens of images that screen readers and search engines cannot read.

The SEO side is often missed. Google Image Search drives real traffic for many sites. Product photos, charts, and how-to images all appear in image results. But Google can only index an image if it has text to go with it. The alt tag is where that text comes from. A product image with alt='Red wool scarf, 72 inches' can show up in searches for any of those words.

Alt text also works as a backup when images fail to load. On slow networks, behind firewalls, or when a CDN goes down, the alt text shows in place of the image. Visitors can still follow the page without the visual.

One in four US adults has a disability. Screen readers read alt text aloud so users know what an image shows. Without it, the image does not exist for them. That is a lost chance to reach part of your audience.

Search engines use alt text to understand images too. Good alt text can put your images in Google Image results and bring in traffic you would not get otherwise. Missing alt text is one of the most common issues on the web, and one of the easiest to fix.

Accessibility issues also carry legal risk. The number of web accessibility lawsuits in the US has grown every year since 2018. Missing alt text is one of the most commonly cited issues in these cases. Fixing it is not just good practice. It reduces your exposure to legal action.

E-commerce sites have the most to gain. Product images are the core of the shopping experience. Adding descriptive alt text to product photos helps screen reader users shop your site and puts your products in Google Image results. A site with 500 products and no alt text is missing 500 chances to appear in image search.

Portfolio and agency sites use images heavily to showcase work. Each project screenshot, case study image, and team photo needs alt text. Without it, the visual story you are telling is invisible to a significant portion of your audience.

Blog and content sites often have the most images per page: featured images, inline photos, infographics, screenshots. Each one without alt text is a missed opportunity for both accessibility and search visibility.

Step 1: Fix content images first. These are images that convey meaning: product photos, team photos, charts, diagrams. Write alt text that describes what the image shows, not what it is. Instead of alt='image', write alt='Team of six standing in front of office building'. Keep it under 125 characters.

Step 2: Mark decorative images. Images that are purely visual (borders, spacers, background textures, icons next to text that already says the same thing) should use an empty alt tag: alt=''. This tells screen readers to skip them.

Step 3: Check your CMS media library. WordPress, Shopify, and Squarespace all have an alt text field in the media library. Go to your media manager, sort by images without alt text, and fill them in.

Step 4: Be specific, not generic. 'Photo' or 'banner image' tells no one anything. Describe the content: 'Screenshot of SiteCurl dashboard showing 7 category scores.' Include relevant details that a person or search engine would find useful.

Step 5: Do not keyword-stuff. Alt text should describe the image, not list SEO keywords. 'Best cheap red scarf buy online discount' is spam. 'Red wool scarf, 72 inches, hand-knitted' is useful.

Step 6: Handle complex images. For charts and infographics, the alt text should summarize the key takeaway, not describe every data point. Use a longer description in the surrounding text or a linked description.

Describing the page, not the image. Alt text for a hero image should say what the image shows, not repeat the page heading. If the hero shows a laptop on a desk, the alt should say that. Do not copy the H1.

Using the file name as alt text. 'DSC_0374.jpg' or 'hero-v2.png' is not alt text. Some CMS tools auto-fill the file name. Always check and swap these for real words that say what the image shows.

Leaving alt empty on content images. An empty alt tag (alt='') is only right for images that are just visual flair. On images that carry meaning, it tells screen readers to skip what the visitor needs to see. If the image matters, it needs a label.

Writing too much. Alt text over 125 characters gets cut off by some screen readers. Keep it short. If you need more detail, put it in the text near the image or use aria-describedby to link to a full note.

After adding alt text, run another SiteCurl scan. The count of images missing alt text should drop to zero for content images. Decorative images with empty alt tags will not be flagged.

For a quick manual check, right-click any image in your browser, select 'Inspect,' and look for the alt attribute in the img tag. Or install a browser extension like WAVE that highlights images missing alt text on any page you visit.

To test with a screen reader, use VoiceOver on Mac (Cmd+F5) or NVDA on Windows (free). Tab through your page and listen to how images are announced. If you hear file names or silence where an image should be described, the alt text is missing or wrong.

Alt text is one of the fastest fixes you can make. It helps people who use screen readers, and it helps search engines index your images. Go through the images SiteCurl flags, write a short phrase for each one, and run another scan to confirm.