Missing image alt text: how to find and fix it

What it means

Images on your pages are missing alt text, which is the descriptive attribute on <img> elements that tells search engines and screen readers what the image shows.

Why it matters

Without alt text, Google can't index images referenced via <img src> or inline Data URIs, and screen readers read the page as an unlabelled image. This also means AI agents and crawlers miss the context that alt text provides, reducing visibility in image search and in AI-generated answers.

How to fix it

1. Add descriptive alt text to every <img> element — something like alt="Dalmatian puppy playing fetch" rather than stuffing keywords.
2. For inline SVGs, include a <title> element so the SVG gets indexed the same way.
3. Verify that each image is referenced with the same URL consistently across pages and sitemaps.
4. Check that image URLs are not blocked in robots.txt and that your CDN domain is verified in Search Console.

Example

<img src="/trail-shoe.jpg">

<img src="/trail-shoe.jpg" alt="Acme Trail 200 running shoe, side view">
<!-- purely decorative image: empty alt so screen readers skip it -->
<img src="/divider.png" alt="">

Describe what the image shows for content images; use alt="" (not a missing attribute) for decorative ones.

When it's not a problem

This warning is less urgent if the image is purely decorative and has alt="" (empty alt), or if it's a background image set via CSS background-image — those are not indexed by Google. Also, inline Data URIs and SVGs with <title> already provide the signal, so they don't need traditional alt text.

How Crawlinx detects it

We check each <img> in the rendered DOM for an alt attribute. Content images with no alt are counted and reported; a missing attribute is different from an intentional empty alt="" on decorative images.

How common is it?

4813 audited sites in our corpus currently show this issue. The breakdowns below show which platforms, gatekeepers, verticals and countries are most exposed.

FAQ

Does alt text help SEO?

Yes — it's the main text signal Google Images uses to understand and rank a picture, and it's a WCAG requirement for screen-reader users.

Should decorative images have alt text?

They should have an empty alt="" so assistive tech skips them. Omitting the attribute entirely makes some readers announce the filename instead.

Related guides

• Image SEO: Alt Text, Formats & Lazy-Loading
• Schema Markup Guide 2026: Types, JSON-LD & Testing