Social Security Administration Guide: Alternate Text for Images

Decorative images

Apply a null (Alt=“”) value to decorative images.

For Web/HTML: When an image is used only for decorative purposes, it is often best to remove the image from the page content and add it as a background image using CSS. This will remove the need for alternative text altogether and will remove the image from the semantic and structural flow of the page.

Left image: Alt = “”
Center image: Alt = “Pastel portrait with American Flag”
Right image: Alt = “”

Left image: Alt = “Dog Bones”
Center image: Alt = “Pastel portrait with American Flag”
Right image: Alt = “Dog Bones”