When to use alternative text
You only need to add alternative text to images that communicate information or meaning, not to images that are purely decorative.
Adding images to your website involves two separate steps:
- Uploading an image to the T4 Media Library
- Using that image on a webpage
The alt text you need may be different at each stage.
Step one: Uploading an image to the T4 Media Library
When uploading an image to the T4 Media Library for the first time, always add alt text.
This creates a description that colleagues can copy, adapt or reuse when creating image variants later. Even if the image may eventually be used as decorative content, providing alt text at upload helps other users understand what the image shows.
Step two: Using an image on a webpage
When you add an image to a webpage, create a variant in the Media Library for that specific use, rather than just use the base image. At this stage, decide whether the image is decorative or meaningful in the context of the page.
If the image is decorative
Decorative images do not provide information that users need to understand the page. They are included for visual interest only.
Examples include:
- Decorative banners
- Background images
- Generic campus photography
For decorative images, leave the alt text field empty on the variant you create. This allows screen readers to skip the image.
If the image is meaningful
Meaningful images provide information, context or content that supports the page.
Examples include:
- A photograph of a named person
- An image of a specific event
- A diagram, chart or infographic
- An image that contains important information
For meaningful images, add alt text to the variant that describes the image and explains its purpose on the page.