Image has empty alt text

Why it matters

Empty alt text (alt="") tells screen readers to skip an image. That is right for decoration, but page builders also write alt="" whenever nobody filled the field in — so a product photo or a chart can silently disappear for blind visitors.

Who it affects: Blind and low-vision people using screen readers, people who turn images off to save data, and search engines.

What Lumtera flags

Images with empty alt text outside Image blocks — for example in Cover and Media & Text blocks, Elementor or pasted HTML. Small icons (48 pixels or less), inline data images, images marked role="presentation" and images inside links are left out. Only a person can tell forgotten from decorative, so this is always a review item, never an error.

Check ID image-empty-alt — use it to filter the content report or with wp lumtera issues --rule.

How to fix it in WordPress

If the image shows information visitors need — a product, a person, a chart, text — add alternative text describing it. If it is purely decorative, dismiss this item. In Elementor, set the alt text on the image in the Media Library. (Image blocks in the block editor are covered by their own decorative setting instead.) In Cover and Media & Text blocks an empty alt text is how WordPress marks an image decorative; if that was intended, dismiss this item with a reason.

Example

<img src="pricing-chart.png" alt="">

<img src="pricing-chart.png" alt="Bar chart: plan sales grew 40% from 2025 to 2026">

How to check your fix

1. Update the post. The issue disappears from the Accessibility sidebar on the next check, and from the site report on the next scan.
2. Turn on a screen reader (VoiceOver on Mac: Cmd + F5; NVDA on Windows is free) and move through the image. You should hear a description that makes sense in context — or nothing at all for decoration.