Image Alt Text Analyzer
Paste your HTML and analyze every image tag for proper alt text. Get a detailed scorecard showing what AI search engines see — and what they are missing.
Why does image alt text matter for AI search?
AI engines cannot see your images
When ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google AI Overview crawls your page, they process text — not pixels. Your alt text is the only way these engines understand what your images show. Without it, your visual content is invisible to AI, and you lose a significant portion of your page's topical relevance signals.
Descriptive alt text adds topical depth
AI engines build a semantic understanding of your page from all text content, including alt attributes. A well-written alt text like “Artisan hand-stitching the hem of a natural linen tote bag” adds relevant keywords and context that reinforce your page's topic. This contributes to topical authority — a key factor in whether AI engines cite your content.
Poor alt text hurts your credibility signals
Missing alt text, generic placeholders like “image”, or filenames like “IMG_4521.jpg” signal low content quality to both AI and traditional search engines. These are common indicators of hastily-published or auto-generated content — exactly the kind of signal that reduces your chances of being cited by AI engines that prioritize authoritative, well-maintained sources.
Performance attributes affect crawl quality
Width, height, and loading attributes may seem purely technical, but they directly impact how AI crawlers experience your page. Missing dimensions cause layout shift (hurting Core Web Vitals), while missing lazy loading slows initial page render. AI crawlers have time budgets — a slow, shifting page may not be fully crawled, meaning some of your content never gets indexed at all.
Accessibility is an AEO best practice
Proper alt text is an accessibility requirement under WCAG guidelines. Accessible websites tend to rank higher in both traditional and AI search because they follow web standards more consistently. AI engines increasingly factor accessibility compliance into their quality assessments. Writing good alt text serves both audiences — screen reader users and AI engines — with the same effort.
Alt text is just one part of AEO
Optimizing your images improves AI visibility, but there is much more to Answer Engine Optimization. Learn what AEO is and why it matters, or check out our guide on how to improve your AEO score. You can also explore all of our free AEO tools to audit other aspects of your site.
How to write great alt text for AI
Be specific and descriptive. Instead of “product photo”, write “Hand-thrown ceramic mug in sage green glaze with an oversized handle, sitting on a reclaimed wood table.”
Skip “image of” or “photo of”. Screen readers already announce the element as an image. Jump straight to the content description.
Keep it under 125 characters. Screen readers may truncate longer alt text, and concise descriptions are easier for AI to process and match to queries.
Use empty alt="" for decorative images only. Spacers, borders, and purely visual flourishes should have empty alt text so screen readers skip them. Never leave the alt attribute missing entirely.
Include relevant context. Mention colors, materials, actions, settings, and subjects. The more context you provide, the more topical relevance signals AI engines can extract.
Alt text is just one piece of AI visibility
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