Alt text examples, by image type

Alt text (the alt attribute) is what a screen reader reads instead of an image, and what search engines read to understand it. The right alt text depends on what the image is for, so "write a good description" is not enough advice. Below are 96 real examples of bad and good alt text, grouped by the kind of image, each with the reason it works.

The five rules behind every example

  1. Say what the image communicates on this page, not everything in it. The same photo needs different alt text on a product page and on a blog post.
  2. Don't start with "image of" or "picture of". Screen readers already say "image".
  3. Keep it short: one sentence, usually under 125 characters. Long content (charts, infographics, maps) goes in text next to the image.
  4. Functional images describe the action. A linked logo is "Acme home", a magnifying glass button is "Search".
  5. Decorative images get alt="", empty but present. Never leave the attribute out, or the file name gets read aloud.

Examples by image type

Image typeWhat you'll find
Product photos & ecommerce8 examples, e.g. Nike Pegasus 41 running shoe in navy with white swoosh, side view
Logos8 examples, e.g. Acme Outdoor home
Charts & graphs8 examples, e.g. Bar chart: monthly revenue grew from $12k in January to $31k in June 2026
Infographics8 examples, e.g. Infographic: 10 remote work statistics for 2026; full text below
Screenshots8 examples, e.g. WordPress Media Settings with the "Organize my uploads into month- and year-based folders" checkbox highlighted
Team photos & headshots8 examples, e.g. (empty alt="") or "Maria Lopez smiling, in front of a whiteboard"
Decorative images8 examples, e.g. alt=""
Icons & buttons8 examples, e.g. Search
Food & menu photos8 examples, e.g. Margherita pizza with blistered crust, fresh basil and mozzarella on a wooden board
Real estate photos8 examples, e.g. Two-storey brick house with a covered front porch and a double garage
Blog featured images8 examples, e.g. Raised wooden garden beds with lettuce and tomato seedlings
Maps8 examples, e.g. Map showing Acme Coffee at 12 Market Street, Bristol, next to Temple Meads station
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