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How to fix: Image alt text (WCAG 1.1.1 A)

Why this matters

Alt text is the screen reader's only access to image content. Without it, blind users miss the image entirely — and a missing alt is one of the most-tested WCAG Level A failures in automated audits. Decorative images: alt="". Informative: short description.

Background

Every <img> needs an alt attribute. Without it, screen-reader users miss the image entirely. Decorative images use alt=""; informative images need a brief description. WCAG 1.1.1 is Level A — the conformance baseline.

References

WCAG 2.1 SC 1.1.1 Non-text Content (Level A) · WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices

How to fix

Code snippet for each stack we cover. Pick the one matching your server / framework.

nginx

No server config — content edit.

apache

Same.

cloudflare

Same.

wordpress

Edit each image in Media Library + add alt text. Yoast SEO highlights missing alts. Bulk-edit plugins (Bulk Edit Image Metadata) for large libraries.

flask

Pass alt= explicitly when rendering <img> in templates. Lint with axe-core in CI.

express

Same.

rails

image_tag with alt: keyword. RuboCop accessibility cops can fail builds.

Verify it's working

Browser devtools: document.querySelectorAll('img:not([alt])').length should be 0.

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