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Image Alt Text Checker

Paste a page's HTML to list every image with its alt text status — present, deliberately empty or missing — and catch alt text that's just a file name, linked images with no description, and images without dimensions.

Image Alt Text Checker Paste HTML · analysed in your browser

To get a page's HTML: open it in your browser, right-click → View page source, select all and copy. Want a live fetch instead? Use the SEO Page Analyzer.

Paste a page's HTML to see results.

How to use the Image Alt Text Checker

  1. Paste the HTML

    Add the page URL so image file names can be shown as full links.

  2. Filter to “Missing”

    Start with images that have no alt attribute at all.

  3. Write useful alt text

    Describe what the image shows and why it's there, briefly. Use alt="" for purely decorative images.

  4. Export the list

    Download the CSV to hand to whoever updates the content.

What it checks

Alt status
Present with text, present but empty (alt=""), or missing entirely.
Poor alt text
Alt text that looks like a file name (IMG_4021.jpg) or is longer than about 125 characters.
Linked images
Images inside links with no alt text — for these, the alt text is effectively the anchor text.
Dimensions
Whether width and height attributes are set, which helps browsers reserve space and avoid layout shift.
Loading
loading="lazy", srcset, and JavaScript lazy-load patterns (data-src with no src).

Interpreting the results

Counts at the top show how many images have alt text, an empty alt, or none. The table lists each image with its file name, alt text, dimensions and loading attributes; filters narrow it to the rows you want.

An empty alt (alt="") is correct for decorative images — it tells screen readers to skip them. A missing alt attribute is different: screen readers may read out the file name instead. So “empty” is flagged for review, “missing” for fixing.

Detected marks facts read directly from what you provided. Guidance marks general recommendations based on those facts — rules of thumb, not guarantees or search engine requirements.

Practical guidance

Write alt text for someone who can't see the image. “Sourdough loaf cooling on a wire rack” is useful; “bread” is vague; “best sourdough bread recipe easy sourdough” is keyword stuffing that makes the page worse for screen-reader users. If an image is purely decorative, an empty alt is the right answer.

Linked images deserve special attention. When an image is the only content of a link, its alt text becomes the link's accessible name and effectively its anchor text — for internal links and for backlinks alike. An image link with no alt says nothing about the destination. Our guide What is anchor text? explains how anchors are read, and the Internal Link & Anchor Text Analyzer shows every link's anchor, including image links.

Alt text is one part of preparing a page properly before promoting it; the target-page checklist on our PBN backlinks page covers the rest.

Limitations

  • Only <img> elements in the pasted HTML are listed. CSS background images, <picture> sources without an img, SVG icons and images added by JavaScript aren't included.
  • It can't judge whether alt text accurately describes an image — only whether it exists and looks sensible.
  • One page per check; it doesn't crawl a site.

Frequently asked questions

Should every image have alt text?

Every image should have an alt attribute. Meaningful images need descriptive text; decorative images should use an empty alt.

How long should alt text be?

Usually a short phrase or sentence. If an image needs a long explanation, use a caption or nearby text.

Does alt text help image search?

It gives search engines a text description of the image, alongside the file name, caption and surrounding content.

Is my HTML uploaded?

No. It's analysed in your browser.

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