3. Alternative Text

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<img src="#" alt="..." title="..." width="..." height="..." />

Important This attribute is required in the element.

Proper style and accessibility standards dictate that you must always include the alternative text attribute. The key for this is simply alt="". The value in the double quotes should describe the image. This description is used by screen readers for those who are visually impaired.

Therefore it is critical that you provide a detailed description, especially in the case where the image is necessary to understand the content of the page.

  • Poor:    alt="Me getting help"
  • Better:  alt="Justine receiving help from an instructor while at a computer"