- Class
- C2 Recommended
- Weight
- 4
- Severity on fail
- major
- Applies to
Scope and evidence
Evaluated on page (P). The book marks this requirement DOCUMENTED RECOMMENDATION, STANDARD.
The scanner does not judge whether alt text is descriptive, and it never recommends adding keywords to alt text.
Fail conditions
Each condition has a stable code and a reason template. The evaluator fills the placeholders from observed values only; no sentence in a report is generated.
missing_alt{n} images on {url} have no alt attribute, for example {src}. Google calls alt text the most important attribute for image metadata, and WCAG requires a text alternative for non-text content. Use alt="" for purely decorative images.
The documented fix
Require an alt field (with a "decorative" option) wherever editors place images.
Sources, quoted
These are the passages the rule rests on, stored once in the knowledge base and emitted exactly as written. A citation marked for specific conditions appears only on findings with those codes.
“The most important attribute when it comes to providing more metadata for an image is the alt text (text that describes an image), which also improves accessibility for people who can't see images on web pages”
[G-IMAGES] Google image SEO best practices · Use descriptive alt text · last updated 2026-03-02
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/google-imagesCited for context; no quote stored.
[WCAG-111] Understanding Success Criterion 1.1.1: Non-text Content (WCAG 2.2) · Success Criterion 1.1.1 Non-text Content · last updated not stated
https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/non-text-content.html