Alternative Text (Alt-text)

• Alt-text is important — and required — for images on the Bowdoin College website.
• Alt-text is read by screen readers in place of an image. This provides context or action of images to those with visual or other disabilities.
• Alt text shows in place of an image in browsers if the image file does not load fast enough.
• Alt-text can help search engines identify content on web pages.

The alt-text field can be found in editing mode anytime you are adding an image to a page in Cascade 8.

Alt-text is required in Cascade 8 when adding images to a page.

Writing Great Alt-text

• No need to use "image of" or "photo of" in the alt-text; a screen reader already announces, "image."
• Be succinct but descriptive; try limiting to 125 characters or fewer. Describe the image: what is going on in the picture? Be specific about who or what is in it.
• Watch for repetition. Is there a caption on the image already that clearly describes what the image is? Captions and alt-text should not be the same.
• Try not to use images that have text on them. If you do, write the text out in the alt-text. A screen reader cannot read text on an image.
• Does the image have a function (e.g., links to a page, form, or news article)? If so, the alt text should say where the link goes (e.g., "link to Student Aid website).

Not so great alt-text: two students and a professor.	Great alt-text: Earth and Oceanographic Science majors dating rock metamorphosis in an investigating earth class.
Not so great alt-text: Fall Theater and Dance performance.	Great alt-text: The cast of the Theater and Dance performance of Cole takes a bow at the end of the show on stage.