Mark decorative images as such to be ignored by assistive tech.
- Mark decorative images as such to be ignored by assistive tech1 cited source1 category
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Why this matters
Identifying decorative images prevents screen readers from announcing uninformative content, improving user experience.
Hypothetical standard operating procedure
Adapt this example to your site, access, tools, and change process. It is our suggested procedure, informed by the sources below.
- Review all images to identify those not conveying useful information.
- Add alt="" to decorative images to exclude them from screen reader output.
- Alternatively, use aria-hidden="true" if appropriate.
- Test with screen readers to confirm decorative images are skipped.
Watch for
Failing to mark decorative images leads to unnecessary verbosity and confusion for screen reader users.
Definition of done
All decorative images are marked with empty alt attributes (alt="") or appropriate ARIA roles.
Sources & attribution
Original checklist wording and example SOP by Best SEO Checklist, using source-grounded AI assistance. Editorial contact: Ted Kubaitis, @tedkubaitis on Teams. Check current source guidance before implementation.