What is an Alternative Text?
Alternative text, commonly known as “Alt Text,” “Alt Attributes,” “Alt Descriptions,” or “Alt Tags,” is a fundamental principle of accessibility support. Alt text provides descriptive information about images, ensuring that students, staff, and faculty with visual impairments receive the same content as those who can see the image.
Writing effective alt-text is more of an art than a strict formula, as there is no single way to craft it perfectly. This guide will highlight key concepts to consider and offer practical guidance on writing clear, meaningful alt-text for accessibility.
Importance of Alternative Text and Where to Apply It
Alternative text (alt-text) plays a crucial role in digital accessibility by explaining why an image is relevant to the content. Screen reading software reads alt-text aloud, allowing users with visual impairments to understand the context and purpose of the image.
Most digital content and websites support alt-text, ensuring that descriptions remain intact when exported to HTML or PDF. To maintain accessibility, always provide clear and meaningful alt-text for the following elements:
- Shapes
- Pictures
- Charts
- Diagrams
- SmartArt
- Clip Art
- Tables
- Screenshots
- All Other Objects
How to Add Alt-Text to Images, Shapes, and Icons
- Right-click the Image, Shape, or Icon
- Select “Alt Text…”
- Describe what the Image, Shape, or Icon represents.

In this example, you could say, “The SNHU logo”. If the image shape or icon is only decorative, then put a check mark in the box "Mark as decorative" to let the screen reader and user know that the image is not important content.
Run the Accessibility Checker in Excel
- Click on the "Review" tab in the top ribbon.
- Locate and click the "Accessibility" button to launch the Accessibility Checker pane.
- Review the issues listed and follow the suggestions provided to make your document more accessible to all users.

For detailed instructions, go to the article:
How to Use Accessibility Checker in Excel (Microsoft 365 Web App)
Give Meaningful or Descriptive Content to Links
For detailed instructions, go to the article:
How to Create Meaningful Links in Excel (Microsoft 365 Web App)