Use a removal test
Imagine the page without the image. Would a reader lose information, miss a step, or be unable to identify a control? If nothing meaningful disappears, the image may be decorative in that placement.
Context matters. A leaf photograph used as a border may be decoration, while the same photograph in a guide to leaf shapes provides information. Classify the placement rather than permanently labeling the file.
Keep decoration out of the reading sequence
W3C’s guidance uses an empty alt attribute for purely decorative images rendered with an image element. Empty is different from omitting the attribute, and the words decorative image are not a useful substitute.
Do not add keywords to a decorative image simply because a media library offers a text box. The purpose of the accessible experience is to convey the page’s information without creating unnecessary interruptions.
Check the theme’s actual output
Some editors fill blank fields with filenames or media titles. Inspect the rendered image after publishing to confirm that the intended empty alternative text was preserved. If the image is used as a control, review its accessible name separately.
Keep decorative assets out of automatic description batches where possible. A short editorial note such as decorative divider can help a teammate understand the decision without becoming the text exposed to readers.
A practical comparison
- Before
- alt="green decorative leaf divider SEO nature"
- Better approach
- alt=""
This applies to a purely decorative divider, not to a leaf image used to teach identification.
Illustrative example, not a customer result.Further reading
For platform guidance, consult Google’s image SEO documentation and the W3C image accessibility tutorials. These guides combine editorial workflows with the product’s current capabilities; search visibility depends on more than image metadata.
Put the workflow to use
Draft descriptive filenames and alt text, review the results, and export your image metadata. Start with 10 images per month on Free.
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