Alt text for small teams

The version of this that works is simpler than the version most people imagine. Most advice about alt text assumes a team that does not exist at your size. Here is the version that does not.

The cost of retrofitting accessibility is several times the cost of building it in. It is the sort of thing that looks like polish right up until it costs you an enquiry.

What to keep

Describe the purpose, not the appearance. It is worth being explicit about, because assumptions differ quietly. The version that survives contact with a real deadline is the simple one.

What to drop

Process that exists to coordinate ten people is overhead when there are two of you. None of that requires a large budget, only a decision and someone to own it.

Where to start

Never start with "image of". It is worth being explicit about, because assumptions differ quietly. The version that survives contact with a real deadline is the simple one.

In practice

Most of it is correctness rather than charity: use the right element and much of it happens automatically. Three things worth confirming about alt text before you move on:

• Someone can say what the current setup is without going to look
• Describe the purpose, not the appearance — and you know whether that is true here
• There is a way to tell whether the last change to this helped

Pick the one that would hurt most if it failed, and start there.