SEO guides
Describe images and reserve layout space
An image can communicate information, provide decoration or function as a link. Alternative text should reflect its role in context. A purely decorative image may correctly have an empty alt attribute. A missing attribute is different from a deliberate empty value and deserves review.
What to do
- Briefly describe the meaningful subject when an image conveys information. Do not automatically repeat an adjacent caption.
- Use empty alt for purely decorative images. For linked images, alternative text should help explain the link destination.
- Reserve space with appropriate width/height or a CSS aspect ratio. Consider lazy loading farther down the page without blindly delaying the most important visible image.
Example
<img src="/workshop.jpg" alt="Mechanic adjusting bicycle brakes" width="960" height="640">
<img src="/decoration.svg" alt="" width="40" height="40">Check for yourself
- Are decorative and informative images treated differently?
- Is the correct layout space reserved?
- Has the loading strategy been checked on a real mobile page?