Decoding Alt Text: The “Alternative” to Your Visuals
You’ve probably heard the term, but what does it really mean for your email campaigns?
What Exactly Is Alt Text?
At its heart, alt text (alternative text) is a written description of an image. In web pages and emails, it’s the value given to the alt attribute within an <img> HTML tag. Think of it as a backup plan for your pictures. If an image can’t display for any reason, the alt text provides a text version so the reader still understands the image’s purpose and content.
It’s important to know that alt text is different from other text linked to images. It’s not the image’s filename (like “summer_sale_banner.jpg”). It’s also not the same as an image title, which sometimes appears as a tooltip when you hover over an image in web browsers but doesn’t work consistently in email clients. And it’s different from a caption, which is text you can see alongside an image. Alt text specifically replaces the image when needed.
How Alt Text Functions in the Email Environment
How alt text behaves in emails depends a lot on the recipient’s email client and their settings:
- Scenario 1: Images Enabled: When a user’s email client shows images automatically and they load correctly, the alt text usually isn’t visible. However, it’s still in the email’s HTML code, and good email platforms make sure it’s there.
- Scenario 2: Images Disabled or Blocked: This happens often. Many email clients (like some versions of Outlook or Gmail in certain situations) block images by default for security or privacy. Users might also turn off images to save data or speed up loading. In these cases, instead of the image, the user sees the alt text in the space where the image would have been. This text is vital for keeping the email’s flow and making sure the main message isn’t lost.
The way alt text looks can vary a bit between email clients like Gmail, Apple Mail, and Outlook, and on different devices (desktop, mobile, tablet). But its main job stays the same: to give context when pictures are missing.
In short, alt text helps your email communicate well, even if its visual parts run into trouble.
The Indispensable Roles of Alt Text in Email Marketing
Using alt text all the time isn’t just about following a technical rule. It brings real benefits that can greatly improve your email marketing results and how people see your brand.
Championing Accessibility for All Subscribers
This is perhaps the biggest reason to use alt text. Making your emails accessible means everyone, no matter their abilities, can understand your message.
Serving Visually Impaired Users and Screen Readers
Millions of people use screen reader software (like JAWS, NVDA, or VoiceOver) to use the internet and read digital content. This software turns on-screen text, and the information from alt text for images, into spoken words or braille.
Without alt text, a screen reader might just say “image” or “graphic,” or maybe read a confusing filename. This leaves visually impaired subscribers missing important information. Descriptive alt text gives the same information or function as the image. For example, if you have an image for a “30% Off Weekend Special,” your alt text should clearly say “30% Off Weekend Special on all items.” This makes sure subscribers using screen readers get the same valuable details as users who can see. This isn’t just good practice; it lines up with ethical marketing and being inclusive. In some places, there are even legal needs (like the Americans with Disabilities Act – ADA in the U.S.) for digital accessibility.
Assisting Users with Slow Internet or Data Constraints
Not everyone has fast internet. For users on slower connections or those trying to save mobile data, images might load very slowly, or they might have image loading turned off. In these cases, alt text offers quick context for the unloaded images. This can make them more patient and less frustrated by empty boxes. They can understand the main message while waiting, or decide if loading the images is worth their data.
Catering to Users with Cognitive Disabilities
For some users with cognitive or learning disabilities, complex images or many visuals can sometimes be hard to understand quickly. Clear, short alt text can support the image’s message and help understanding by giving a simple text explanation to go with the visual information.
Enhancing User Experience When Images Are Blocked
Beyond just accessibility, alt text greatly improves the general user experience for anyone who gets emails with blocked images.
The Reality: Many Email Clients Block Images by Default
It’s a common thing. Email clients often block images by default for several reasons:
- Security concerns: Images, especially tracking pixels, can be used to get information about the recipient or even deliver harmful items.
- Privacy: Blocking images can stop senders from knowing if and when an email was opened (though this is becoming less true with other tracking ways).
- Reducing load times and data usage: Especially on mobile networks.
When images are blocked and there’s no alt text, recipients see empty boxes or “broken image” icons. This makes the email look unprofessional, unfinished, or even suspicious. With well-written alt text, those empty boxes fill with meaningful descriptions, keeping the email’s structure and message.
Maintaining Message Cohesion and Encouraging Image Downloads
Imagine an email where the main offer or call to action is inside an image. If that image doesn’t load and has no alt text, the whole point of the email could be missed. Descriptive alt text can spark a user’s interest and make them more likely to click the “Display images” or “Download pictures” button. It tells them there’s valuable visual content waiting to be seen.
Here’s a quick comparison:
| Feature | No Alt Text | With Good Alt Text |
| User Experience | Confusing, empty spaces, “broken” feel | Clear, understandable, maintains flow |
| Accessibility | Inaccessible to screen reader users | Accessible, provides equivalent information |
| Message Clarity | Lost if image is key; email may seem pointless | Core message retained, context provided |
| CTA Effectiveness | Missed if CTA is an image | CTA function described, encouraging clicks |
| Brand Perception | Unprofessional, careless | Professional, considerate, inclusive |
Boosting Email Engagement and Click-Through Rates (CTRs)
If an image is linked (for instance, a product image that clicks to a product page, or a button image that leads to a landing page), and that image doesn’t load, the alt text often becomes the part you can click. If the alt text is generic like “image.png,” users have no idea what they’d be clicking on.
But, if the alt text for a linked product image says, “New AeroTech Drone with 4K camera – Learn More,” users understand where the link goes even without seeing the picture. This clarity can greatly increase their confidence and desire to click, directly affecting your click-through rates and overall campaign success.
Supporting Email Deliverability and Reputation (Subtle but Relevant)
While alt text isn’t the main factor in whether your email lands in the inbox or spam folder, it does play a part in your overall sender reputation. ISPs and spam filters look at the quality of your email’s HTML code. Good HTML, which includes using alt attributes correctly for all useful images, signals that you are a careful and real sender.
Emails that are just one big image with no text, or emails with lots of images and no alt text, can sometimes seem like red flags to spam filters. They might look like attempts to get around text-based filters. Using alt text is a best practice that adds to the overall “health” and professionalism of your email code. It works together with other key deliverability efforts.
In summary, thinking carefully about alt text turns possible email problems into wins for accessibility and user experience.
Crafting Effective Alt Text: Best Practices for Email Images
Knowing why alt text matters is the first step. Knowing how to write good alt text is next. Here are key best practices:
Be Accurate and Equivalent
The alt text must correctly show the content and, importantly, the function of the image. If the image gives specific information (like text on a banner), that information should be in the alt text. If the image does something (like a link), the alt text should describe that action. The aim is to give an experience for non-visual users or those with images off that is equal to the experience of users who see the image.
Strive for Conciseness (But Not at the Expense of Clarity)
While there’s no strict character limit that all email clients use, a general guide is to keep alt text under 125 characters when you can. Screen readers might pause or cut off very long alt text, and email clients might not show long descriptions well.
But, the main thing is clarity. Be as brief as you can while still giving the needed information. It’s a balance. Don’t cut out important descriptive details just to meet a random length.
Context is Everything
Your alt text shouldn’t be on its own. It needs to make sense with the text around it and the overall message of your email. Before writing alt text, ask yourself:
- What information does this image add to the email?
- What would someone miss if they couldn’t see this image?
- How does this image connect to the call to action or the main point?
The answers will help you write alt text that fits perfectly into the email’s story.
Avoid Redundancy Like “Image of…” or “Graphic of…”
Screen reader software already tells the user that something is an “image” or “graphic.” So, starting your alt text with phrases like “Image of a cat” or “Picture of a sunset” is repetitive and just adds extra words. Go straight to the description: “Calico cat curled up on a sunny windowsill” or “Bright orange and purple sunset over a calm ocean.”
One exception might be if the type of image is very important for context, like “Chart showing a 20% increase in sales” or “Screenshot of the new dashboard feature.”
Strategic Use of Keywords (Naturally)
If relevant keywords (like a product name or a key benefit) fit naturally and correctly into the image’s description, it’s fine to include them. This can help strengthen your message. But, the main reason for alt text in email is accessibility and user understanding, not search engine optimization (which works differently for email than for web pages).
Definitely do not keyword stuff. Filling your alt text with keywords (e.g., “Red running shoes best running shoes cheap running shoes buy running shoes now”) makes it hard to read for screen readers, looks like spam when images are off, and defeats the purpose of accessibility.
Handling Different Types of Images in Email
Not all images are the same, and your alt text plan should change based on the image.
Informative Images (e.g., Product shots, infographics, charts)
These images give information that is key to the message.
- Product Shots: Describe the product clearly. Include important features, color, or things that define it. Example: “Men’s waterproof hiking boot in dark brown leather with red laces.”
- Infographics/Charts: Sum up the main point or data the visual shows. Example: “Pie chart showing that 60% of customers prefer email communication.” If the infographic is very complex, the alt text might describe its general topic and then, if needed, point users to a web page with a full text description.
Functional Images (e.g., Buttons, linked logos, icons)
These images do something, usually linking to another place. The alt text should describe the action or destination.
- Buttons: State the button’s call to action. Example: “Register for the webinar now,” “Shop the new arrivals,” “Download your free guide.”
- Linked Logos: Name the company and its job as a link, usually to the homepage. Example: “Send by Elementor Logo – Visit our website.”
- Social Media Icons: Say the platform and the action. Example: “Follow us on LinkedIn,” “View our Instagram profile.”
Decorative Images (e.g., Spacers, stylistic dividers, purely aesthetic backgrounds)
These images add visual style but give no real information or function. If they were taken out, the email’s meaning would not change. For these, use null alt text (empty alt attribute): alt=””. This tells screen readers to skip the image. It’s vital because saying “decorative line” or “background swirl” over and over would be annoying for screen reader users. Knowing when an image is just decorative takes judgment. If it adds any context or information, it needs descriptive alt text. If it’s only for looks, alt=”” is best.
Images Containing Text (Text-as-Image)
It’s usually best to avoid using images of text whenever you can. Real HTML text is more accessible, adjusts better on different devices (responsive design), is often smaller in file size, and isn’t affected by image blocking.
But, if you must use an image that has important text (like a special headline or an offer banner where the font is key to the brand):
- The alt text must include the exact text you can see in the image.
- Example: If an image banner says “FLASH SALE – 48 HOURS ONLY!”, the alt text should be: “FLASH SALE – 48 HOURS ONLY!”
Complex Images (e.g., Detailed charts, maps, diagrams)
For images with a lot of detailed information, like a complex financial chart or a detailed map:
- Give a short summary of the image’s main point in the alt text.
- If all the detail is needed to understand, think about also giving a link to a web page where a longer, more detailed text description or data table is available.
- Example: Alt text: “Line graph showing steady Q1 revenue growth across all product categories. Click here for detailed Q1 financial report.”
Testing is Non-Negotiable
You wouldn’t send an email campaign without checking the copy, would you? The same care applies to alt text.
- Preview with images off: Most email marketing platforms and testing tools (like Litmus or Email on Acid) let you preview your email with images turned off. This is the fastest way to see how your alt text will look to users whose email clients block images. Does it make sense? Is it formatted right? Does it keep the email’s flow?
- Read it aloud: Read your alt text as if you were depending on it to understand the email. Does it sound natural? Is it clear?
- Use a screen reader: For a real accessibility check, try using your email with a screen reader. This will give you direct experience of how a visually impaired user will interact with your content.
Taking these extra steps makes sure your alt text is not just there, but truly helpful.
Implementing Alt Text in Your Email Campaigns: A Practical Guide
Now that you know the “what” and “why,” let’s talk about the “how.” Adding alt text should be a regular part of how you create emails.
Adding Alt Text in Email Creation Tools
The good news is that most modern email editors, especially What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get (WYSIWYG) or drag-and-drop builders, make adding alt text fairly easy. The usual process involves:
- Uploading or choosing your image in the editor.
- Clicking on the image to open image properties or an editing panel.
- Finding a field labeled “Alt Text,” “Alternative Text,” “Image Description,” or something similar. Some platforms might even remind you if it’s missing.
- Typing your descriptive alt text into this field.
- Saving the changes.
The exact steps can change a bit from platform to platform, but the idea is the same: find the image, find the alt text field, and fill it in with care.
Streamlining Alt Text with an Integrated Email Marketing Platform
As web development professionals, especially those of us building and managing client websites and their marketing, we really value tools that make key tasks easier and fit smoothly into how we already work. This is where picking the right email marketing platform is so important.
A WordPress-native communication toolkit, for instance, often means a more natural experience for those already used to WordPress. When your email solution is built specifically for WordPress and WooCommerce, jobs like adding alt text become a simple part of creating content. For example, solutions with a drag-and-drop email builder usually make adding alt text a clear step when you place or edit images. You’re not fighting with a confusing interface or trying to find where this vital field is hidden.
This kind of seamless integration greatly reduces problems and the learning time. This is especially true when you can manage your website and email communications from a dashboard you already know. The main goal of such platforms is often to give an easy way to integrate Email & SMS marketing into your services, and this ease should definitely include basic accessibility features. When ready-made templates are offered, they should ideally be built with best practices, like placeholders or reminders for alt text, from the start. This is part of what it means to simplify marketing well.
Common Pitfalls and How to Sidestep Them
Even when you mean well, mistakes can happen. Here are some common alt text problems and how to avoid them:
- Mistake 1: Completely Forgetting Alt Text.
- Solution: Create a pre-send checklist for every email campaign. Make “Check alt text for all informative images” a required item.
- Mistake 2: Using Default Filenames (e.g., product_image_final_v2.jpg) as Alt Text.
- Solution: Always take the time to manually type human-readable, descriptive text. Filenames don’t help the user.
- Mistake 3: Alt Text That’s Too Vague (e.g., “picture,” “graphic,” “promo image”).
- Solution: Be specific. Focus on describing what the image is and what job it does in the email.
- Mistake 4: Overly Long or Rambling Alt Text.
- Solution: Try to be brief but make sure all key information is there. Edit carefully but fairly.
- Mistake 5: Keyword Stuffing for Supposed SEO Gains.
- Solution: Write for your human audience and for accessibility first. Using keywords naturally is fine; stuffing them in is bad.
- Mistake 6: Alt Text That Doesn’t Match the Image Content or Its Context.
- Solution: Always check your alt text against the image and the email copy around it before sending. Accuracy is vital.
- Mistake 7: Not Using Null Alt Text (alt=””) for Genuinely Decorative Images.
- Solution: Understand the difference between informative and decorative images. Using null alt text for spacers, dividers, or purely visual touches improves the experience for screen reader users by cutting down on unneeded “noise.”
Avoiding these common mistakes will greatly raise the quality and accessibility of your emails.
Alt Text and the Bigger Picture: Building Better Emails and Client Relationships
Using alt text correctly is more than just a technical point; it helps your bigger marketing goals and makes your brand stronger.
Enhancing Brand Perception and Trust
When you take the time to write good alt text, you send a clear message: you care about all your subscribers. This attention to detail shows professionalism and a dedication to being inclusive. It shows your brand is thoughtful, which can lead to more trust and loyalty from your audience. On the other hand, emails that look broken or are hard to access because of missing alt text can make a brand seem careless.
Supporting Broader Marketing Objectives
Think about your automated campaigns. Good alt text is vital for the success of marketing automation flows, like abandoned cart reminders, welcome series, or re-engagement campaigns. If images in these important, often money-making emails don’t load (maybe a product image in an abandoned cart email), well-written alt text can still share the offer or information. This helps to boost sales and customer retention, which are top goals for many businesses. This small detail fits perfectly with the wider plan to simplify marketing while amplifying results because it ensures your message has the best chance of being understood, no matter how images display.
The Web Creator’s Opportunity: Delivering Enhanced Value
For us web creators and agencies, learning and always using email best practices like complete alt text is a big way to elevate client offerings beyond standard website builds. It’s a real skill that lets you provide ongoing value and strengthen client relationships by making sure their communications are professional, accessible, and effective.
When you use a system that makes these tasks easier, especially one built specifically for WordPress and WooCommerce (the system many of us and our clients already use and trust ), it becomes much simpler to handle these key details well. This, in turn, can open doors to recurring revenue streams. Imagine offering full email campaign management that includes accessibility checks as a standard part of your service.
Being able to clearly show clients how these details improve their campaign results – maybe even using real-time analytics from your email platform to link marketing actions to revenue – is priceless. It helps in proving value and justifying your ongoing services, building stronger, more profitable partnerships.
Send by Elementor: Facilitating Accessible and Effective Email Marketing
Picking the right tools can really change how consistently you apply best practices like alt text. For web development professionals, efficiency, ease of use, and smooth integration are key.
Designed for the WordPress Professional
Web creators do best when their tools feel like a natural part of how they already work. Send by Elementor is planned as the ultimate WordPress-native communication toolkit. This “Truly WordPress-Native” approach means that managing complex email campaign parts, including the vital detail of image alt text, feels natural for anyone already good with WordPress UI patterns.
What’s the direct plus here? It often leads to effortless setup & management. You’re less likely to hit the usual integration friction or hard learning curves that can come with non-native or very complex outside marketing platforms. This means less time wrestling with tools and more time creating strong, accessible messages for your clients.
Simplifying Complex Tasks for Better Results
Adding alt text the right way is one important detail, but it’s one of many that help make a campaign successful. An all-in-one communication toolkit that brings together key features can help manage these details as a whole, making sure nothing is missed.
When your platform includes features like a user-friendly drag-and-drop email builder and well-designed ready-made templates based on Elementor best practices, the whole job of creating emails that are both great to look at and easy for everyone to access becomes much smoother. This lets creators easily design, send, and automate email campaigns while sticking to important standards like alt text. It truly lowers the barrier to entry for implementing effective marketing automation correctly from the beginning.
Empowering Creators to Build on Their Success
In the end, the aim of such a platform is to empower Web Creators to grow and deepen what they offer. By using a system that simplifies best practices—like careful alt text use—creators can more confidently offer ongoing marketing value, help boost client growth, and thus secure recurring revenue.
It’s about more than just sending emails; it’s about transforming their service offering from single projects to continuous, value-driven client partnerships. Giving accessible, high-performing email campaigns is a key part of that change.
Conclusion: Alt Text – A Small Detail with a Mighty Impact on Your Email Success
So, what is alt text for images in email? It’s your message’s safety net when visuals don’t work. It’s your promise to be accessible. It’s a sign of professionalism.
To sum up the main points, alt text isn’t an optional add-on; it’s a basic part of modern email marketing. It ensures accessibility for visually impaired subscribers, gives a better user experience when images are blocked or load slowly, keeps your message clear, and in the end, adds to the success of your campaigns.
Make adding descriptive, accurate alt text a required step in your email creation checklist. It’s a small amount of time that gives big rewards in reach, engagement, and brand image. Well-made emails, right down to the careful details like alt text, are the ones that build stronger links with your whole audience and get better, more inclusive results.