Using The ALT Attribute - Creating an Accessible Web Document

Prepare your web pages for people who may not be able to see the images you have on your site. Reasons for not viewing graphics are varied: the user may have images turned off; the user may be blind and is using computer reader software to surf; the user may not be using a graphical browser.

Image tags have an attribute built into them called ALT. The ALT attribute allows the web author to include an ALTernate text description for each image. This text tells the user what the graphic is or says, and is especially important when an image contains text.

<img src="images/welcome.gif" alt="Welcome to UAF">

In some cases, it may be preferable to include an empty ALT field. With an empty alt field, those using a non-graphical browser or computer reader don't see the image at all.

<img src="images/blueline.gif" alt="">

After your document has been created, take a look at your new page(s) with more than one browser ( such as Netscape and Internet Explorer) to verify that your presentation looks acceptable.