Classify the image in its page context
W3C distinguishes informative, decorative, and functional images by their purpose. Informative images need an appropriate description of the information they convey. Decorative images can use an empty text alternative. For an image that functions as a control or link, the alternative should communicate its purpose.
Apply that distinction to the assembled page. A textured background beside a complete collection description may add atmosphere without new information. A detail photo showing the weave of a fabric may provide information that the surrounding text does not. The file's visual complexity alone does not determine the answer.
Describe the information that matters
Imagine a concept image of a blue notebook on a stone desk. In an article about composition, the useful information might be its position and the empty area beside it. In a product listing, the relevant information would concern the real notebook, and a generated concept could not verify those physical details.
An illustrative description for the composition article could be: blue notebook on the right of a stone desk, leaving open space on the left for a headline. It explains the lesson. A list of unrelated search keywords would not help someone understand the image.
| Context | Purpose | Possible text alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Composition guide | Explain the placement | Blue notebook on the right of a desk with open space to its left |
| Decorative texture beside complete text | Add atmosphere only | Empty alternative when the image adds no information |
| Image-only link to the collection | Open the collection page | Explore the evening tableware collection |
| Concept presentation | Show an illustrative direction | AI concept of a warm table setting with side light |
Review linked images as controls
When an image is the only content inside a link, a description of its colors may leave the destination unclear. Describe what following the link does. When text in the same link already supplies a complete accessible name, assess whether the image needs an additional alternative or would create repetition.
For the tableware example, a standalone linked image can identify the collection destination. If the image and a visible collection title share the same link, the implementation should give that combined control a clear name without unnecessary duplication. Review the actual markup, not only the image file.
Keep the essential message in real text
A headline, price, or offer should remain available in the page or email text where practical. A text alternative can communicate information from an image, but it does not make every part of an image-based layout easy to resize, translate, or update.
For a diagram or detailed comparison, provide the explanation or data in adjacent text rather than forcing the whole lesson into a short alternative. The reader should be able to understand the content without decoding every visual detail from a single attribute.
Include alternatives in the publishing handoff
Record the intended text alternative beside each destination in the export list. The same source image may need different treatment in a blog article and an image-only collection link. Translate the alternative with the surrounding page and review it in context.
Before publishing, check that informative images have useful alternatives, decorative images are handled deliberately, and linked images have clear purposes. Read the page with the images unavailable and inspect the controls with the team's accessibility review tools. Treat this as one part of the complete publishing review.
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