Images, Alternative Text, and Text in Images

To comply with Section 508 and WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards, all images in emails and digital content must include meaningful alternative text (alt text). 

Alt text provides a written description of an image so people using screen readers or other assistive technology can understand the information it conveys. Without alt text, users with vision disabilities may miss critical details or context. 

• Add descriptive alt text that explains the image’s purpose or message.
• Keep descriptionsshort and focused—include onlywhat’sneeded to understand the image.
• Don’trepeatinformationthat’salready in the surrounding text.
• Avoid phrases like “image of” or “picture showing.”
• If an image is decorative and adds no meaningful information, mark it as“decorative”so screen readers skip it.
• Each platform (Word, Outlook, Salesforce, etc.) has its own method for adding or marking alt text—check the accessibility settings when adding images.

The goal: make sure every image in our emails and digital materials communicates clearly to all audiences, regardless of how they access the content. 

More information on alternative text guidelines at section508.gov. 

❌ Avoid Putting Important Text in Images

Text that appears inside an image isn’t accessible to many users, especially those using screen readers or assistive technology. Screen readers cannot read text that’s part of a picture, only real, selectable text. When key details (like dates, deadlines, or instructions) are embedded in an image, some users may miss essential information entirely. 

Keeping important text in the body of the email or webpage ensures everyone can access it, allows users to zoom or adjust text size, and improves readability across devices. Images can still support your message visually, but critical information must always appear as actual text. 

🛠️ Example of image needing alternative text

❌ Examples of non-compliant alternative text for the image

• “Hot cocoa.”
  Too vague; does not describe the key visual details or context.
  
• “Mug.”
  Missing essential information aboutwhat’sshown.
  
• “A delicious treat you’ll love!”
  Promotional, subjective language rather than objective description.
  
• “Photo.”
  Not descriptive; provides no useful information.
  
• “A cozy winter scene with everything you need to stay warm—yum!”
  Includes interpretation and opinion instead of factual visual description.
  
• “ ”(empty or missing alt text)
  Fails to provide information for users of screen readers.

✅ Example of complaint alternative text for the image

“Light blue mug filled with hot chocolate topped with mini marshmallows, surrounded by winter-themed items including pinecones, a knitted scarf, cotton sprigs, marshmallows, and a wooden snowflake on a white surface.” 

🛠️ Tip: Use AI to help draft alt text

If you need help getting started with alt text, you can upload an image to ChatGPT or another AI tool and use a prompt like: 

“You are an accessibility specialist. Write concise, WCAG 2.1 A and AA–compliant alt text for this image. Describe only what is necessary to understand the image’s purpose. Avoid unnecessary details, subjective language, and phrasing like ‘image of.’” 

This can give you a helpful draft—but AI-generated alt text is not always accurate or complete. 

Before using it, always read the output carefully to make sure: 

• The description is correct and matches the image
• It focuses on thepurposeof the image
• It avoids unnecessary or overly detailed information
• Itdoesn’tmisidentify people, objects, or context

AI can be a good starting point, but the final alt text must always be reviewed and confirmed by you to ensure it meets accessibility standards.